Electrospinning of pullulan-based orodispersible films containing sildenafil

Feasibility of electrospinning in the manufacturing of sildenafil-containing orodispersible films (ODFs) intended to enhance oxygenation and to reduce pulmonary arterial pressure in pediatric patients was evaluated. Given the targeted subjects, the simplest and safest formulation was chosen, using water as the only solvent and pullulan, a natural polymer, as the sole fiber-forming agent. A systematic characterization in terms of shear and extensional viscosity as well as surface tension of solutions containing different amounts of pullulan and sildenafil was carried out. Accordingly, electrospinning parameters enabling the continuous production, at the highest possible rate, of defect-free fibers with uniform diameter in the nanometer range were assessed. Morphology, micro-structure, drug content and relevant solid state as well as ability of the resulting non-woven films to interact with aqueous fluids were evaluated. To better define the role of the fibrous nanostructure on the performance of ODFs, analogous films were produced by spin-and blade-coating and tested. Interestingly, the disintegration process of electrospun products turned out to be the fastest (i.e. occurring within few s) and compliant with Ph. Eur. and USP limits, making relevant ODFs particularly promising for increasing sildenafil bioavailability, thus lowering its dosages.

Automated summary

The feasibility of using electrospinning to manufacture sildenafil-containing orodispersible films (ODFs) for pediatric patients was evaluated. A water-based formulation using pullulan as the fiber-forming agent was chosen. The electrospinning parameters for producing defect-free nanofibers at a high rate were determined and the resulting non-woven films were evaluated for their morphology, micro-structure, drug content, and interaction with aqueous fluids. The disintegration process of the electrospun ODFs was found to be the fastest, making them promising for enhancing sildenafil bioavailability and lowering dosages.