Investigation of cellulose acetate electrospun films for controlled drug permeability

The current work examined the capability of electrospun film to act as a membrane for controlling drug permeability for its intended application in local drug delivery systems. Electrospun films of cellulose acetate were chosen as the model to utilize Taguchi design of experiment (DoE) that took into account the independent input variables (applied voltage, flow rate, collector distance and polymer concentration). Drug permeability and tensile strength were chosen as the response parameters. Applied voltage of 27 kV, flow rate of 1.25 mL/h, collector distance of 12.5 cm and polymer concentration of 19 % were found to be the ideal combination for higher tensile strength and lower drug permeability. The results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that, among the input parameters examined, polymer concentration was the most influencing for both the response parameters. The analysis of fiber morphology, fiber orientation and porosity of electrospun was also performed. The results indicated the ability of electrospun fiber to achieve drug permeability as low as 31.7 % (in initial 24 h) and highest tensile strength of 3.81 MPa.