Silver sulfadiazine Loaded Poly (ε-Caprolactone)/Poly (Ethylene Oxide) Composite Nanofibers for Topical Drug Delivery

In this study, silver sulfadiazine (SSD) loaded Poly ([Formula: see text]-caprolactone)/Poly (ethylene oxide) (PCL/PEO) nanofiber patches were prepared via electrospinning method for topical drug delivery applications. SSD was loaded for the first time into PCL/PEO nanofibers. Nanofiber patches were characterized by Attenuated Total Reflectance Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR) to check the presence of chemical bonding between SSD and polymer matrix. The surface morphology of the nanofibers was observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). SEM images showed that uniform and smooth composite nanofibers were obtained. The diameter of the nanofibers decreased with the addition of SSD. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis was carried out to examine the crystallinity of composite nanofiber patches. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis was performed to confirm Ag and S contents in the SSD loaded composite nanofibers and EDS Mapping was used to show the homogeneous distribution of SSD in the fiber structure. In order to investigate the release and solubility properties of SSD, an unused buffer solution; Water/Propylene Glycol/Phosphoric Acid (82:16:2) was prepared. The release of SSD was performed in this buffer and the release amount of SSD was calculated by UV-Visible Spectrophotometer. Thereby, SSD containing PCL/PEO composite nanofiber carriers were electrospun to achieve the enhancement in solubility, effective drug release and efficient drug loading of SSD. All experimental studies demonstrated that SSD loaded PCL/PEO composite nanofibers have great potential to be used in topical drug delivery applications.