Preparation, Characterization and Drug Release of Salicylic Acid Loaded Porous Electrospun Nanofibers

Background: Salicylic acid (SA), used as an important component in a lot of skin care products, has been reported widely. And because of large specific surface area, high porosity and good surfactivity, electrospun drug-loaded nanofibers have been widely used in various applications including wound dressing, tissue engineering and drug release. Particularly, the electrospun SA loaded porous nanofibers could be fabricated by regulating electrospinning (ES) parameters, and the release property of SA from nanofibers could be improved by the porous structure. Few relevant patents to the topic have been reviewed and cited. Methods: Electrospun polylactic acid (PLA) porous nanofibers with different contents of SA were prepared successfully by modulating the ES parameters. The morphology and structure of the electrospun SA/PLA porous nanofibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and flourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). And the cumulative drug release rates of SA from SA/PLA porous nanofibers were measured using ultraviolet spectrophotometer (UV). Results: The PLA concentration of 8 wt%, the SA concentrations of 4, 8, 12 wt% and the applied voltage of 15kv were selected as the optimal ES parameters. And the release percentage of low SA content was higher than that of high SA content, and the porous nanofibers had a higher cumulative release percentage of SA than the nonporous nanofibers. Conclusion: The release property of SA from nanofibers could be improved by the porous structure. It will provide a continuous and effective method for treating wounds. Keywords: Electrospinning, polylactic acid, salicylic acid, porous fiber, drug-loaded nanofibers, cumulative release.