Coaxial electrospun poly(L-lactic acid) ultrafine fibers for sustained drug delivery

A coaxial electrospinning technique to fabricate core-shell ultrafine fiber mats for drug delivery application is described in this paper. Poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) were employed as the shell and core materials, respectively. To investigate the feasibility of the resulting fiber mats for use as drug release carriers, these electrospun fibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and tensile testing. In vitro drug release behavior was also examined by ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) spectroscopy. Results indicated that a reservoir-type drug release device can be conveniently obtained through encapsulating TCH in the PLLA ultrafine fiber. The size of the ultrafine fibers had a significant effect on their physical-chemical properties. Furthermore, a sustained TCH release from these fiber mats was also observed. Consequently, the electrospun ultrafine fiber mats containing drugs may be used as drug release carriers or made into biomedical devices such as sutures and wound dressings.