Development and characterization of methylprednisolone loaded delayed release nanofibers

Abstract

Nanofibers have gained significant attention recently due to its wide applications in pharmaceutical area. Methylprednisolone (MP), a synthetic corticosteroid drug, has been used to treat a number of diseases. However, MP can lead to ulceration by acting as a direct irritant to the gastric mucosa. This study aimed to design MP loaded electrospun nanofibers for delayed release drug delivery system. The MP loaded nanofibers were prepared with enteric polymers such as Eudragit L100-55, Eudragit S100 and Kollicoat MAE100-55. Viscosity, conductivity and surface tension of the solutions were analyzed before electrospinning. DSC studies of polymers and MP were also conducted. After fabrication, the nanofibers were evaluated in terms of surface morphology and drug release. The drug release kinetics were calculated to predict the release mechanism. The fiber diameter increased with increasing drug concentration. The increase in mean nanofiber diameter caused the delayed release of MP. The nanofibers prepared with Eudragit S100 polymer with 10:0.5 polymer:drug ratio showed the optimum delayed release profile. The release profiles were best fitted to Weibull model, which shows complex release mechanism. Uniaxial electrospinning could be considered as a simple, inexpensive and effective method for producing delayed release drug delivery system.