Dipyridamole embedded in Polycaprolactone fibers prepared by coaxial electrospinning as a novel drug delivery system

Numerous clinical trials have indicated that an anti-platelet treatment can reduce the risk of recurrent stroke events. Dipyridamole (DIP) is a pharmaceutical compound known to induce platelet aggregation inhibition. Drug delivery systems (DDSs) made of biodegradable polymers can be created using electrospinning, which is a versatile and cost-effective technique that can produce fibrous structures, capable of sustained drug release. A novel DDS made of Polycaprolactone (PCL) with encapsulated DIP was prepared by coaxial electrospinning. The main aim of the current study was to evaluate how different concentrations of PCL in the core and shell solutions and different core concentrations of DIP, affect the fibers' structural and physical properties. Results indicated that the electrical conductivity of the solutions was influenced mainly by the concentration of DIP and less by PCL. Moreover, the average fiber diameter was altered by the concentration of both PCL and DIP, which consequently had an impact on the surface hydrophilicity. Finally, the fibers' encapsulation efficiency and the cumulative drug release were studied and correlated to the concentrations of the drug and the polymer. The obtained data was fitted to a known kinetics model in order to evaluate their release mechanism, which was Fickian diffusion in all cases. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.