Electrospinning of Drug-Loaded Polymer Systems: Preparation and Drug Release

In this study, biomedical devices for tissue regeneration loaded with anti-inflammatory drugs were formulated and characterized. We realized these systems by homogenously dispersing an interclay, a lamellar hydrotalcite loaded with diclofenac sodium (HT1c-DIC), in a polymeric matrix made of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) to produce a controlled release of the drug. These biomedical devices were obtained with the electrospinning technique, which has proven to be very efficient. In particular, in this study, microfibers loaded with HT1c-DIC were obtained, and the drug delivery of diclofenac sodium from these systems was studied and compared with the release from biomedical devices loaded with the free drug. We analyzed these results by evaluating the diffusivity coefficient by means of the pure diffusive mathematical model. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 122: 3551-3556, 2011