Electrospinning of ampicillin trihydrate loaded electrospun PLA nanofibers I: effect of polymer concentration and PCL addition on its morphology, drug delivery and mechanical properties

Abstract

It was aimed to produce ampicillin trihydrate loaded electrospun PLA and PLA/PCL nanofibers using HFIP as solvent. The effect of PLA concentration (7.5–12.5%), PCL addition and added PCL amount (20–80%) on the nanofibers properties were investigated. The increase in PLA concentration caused an increase in nanofiber diameter and a decrease in mechanical properties. PLA nanofibers have shown biphasic controlled drug release up to 10 days, while PCL nanofiber caused only a rapid burst effect. As a result, PLA concentration and the amount of added PCL affected the average nanofiber diameter, in vitro drug release and mechanical properties of the obtained electrospun nanofibers.