pH responsive polyurethane (core) and cellulose acetate phthalate (shell) electrospun fibers for intravaginal drug delivery

• Published in: Carbohydrate polymers 2016-10, Vol.151, p.1240-1244
• Main Authors: Hua, Dawei, Liu, Zhongche, Wang, Fang, Gao, Buhong, Chen, Fei, Zhang, Qilu, Xiong, Ranhua, Han, Jingquan, Samal, Sangram Keshari, De Smedt, Stefaan C., Huang, Chaobo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Cell Line; Cellulose - analogs & derivatives; Cellulose - chemistry; Cellulose acetate phthalate; Core-shell electrospinning; Drug Carriers - chemistry; Drug Carriers - toxicity; Drug Liberation; Electricity; Female; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Intravaginal drug delivery; Mechanical Phenomena; Mice; Polyurethane; Polyurethanes - chemistry; Rhodamines - chemistry; Vagina - metabolism
• ISSN: 0144-8617; 1879-1344
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2016.06.066

•Polyurethane/cellulose acetate phthalate coaxial fibers were obtained by coaxial electrospinning.•The core-shell structure was studied upon confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM).•The tensile strength of the composite fibers showed a clear improvement over existing CAP fibers.•The pH responsive properties of core-shell fibers made them of interest for ‘semen triggered’ intravaginal drug delivery. In this study we present the use of co-axial electrospinning to produce core-shell composite micro-/nano- fibers of polyurethane (PU) and cellulose acetate phthalate (CAP). The designed fibers possess enhanced mechanical properties with a tensile strength of 13.27±2.32MPa, which is a clear improvement over the existing CAP fibers that suffer from a poor mechanical strength (0.2±0.03MPa). The CAP imparts pH responsiveness to the core-shell structure giving the fibers potential for “semen sensitive” (intravaginal) drug delivery.