Abstract
Fibrous delivery systems were developed for two well-known antimicrobial agents: povidone-iodine (PI) and tetra-cycline. For the PI system, monolithic fibers containing 25 wt% PI and 75 wt% of a fiber-forming polymer were melt spun on a ram extruder. Both biodegradable and nonbiodegradable polymers were evaluated with the strongest and most uniform fibers being produced from polycaprolactone (PCL). The release of PI from the PCL fibers occurred over about 5 days. Improvements in the blending, extrusion, and fiber-orientation conditions gave fibers with higher strength, a more consistent release of PI, and a longer duration of action. The antimicrobial activity of the PI/PCL fibers was demonstrated in a test against four microorganisms on cultured agar plates with short lengths of fibers. Those fibers giving the fastest rate of release showed the largest zone of growth inhibition. The tetracycline fibers were also produced from biodegradable and nonbiodegradable polymers. Those produced with ethylene: vinyl acetate copolymer were soft and elastic and gave the most uniform rate of release. Ethylene:vinyl acetate fibers containing 25 wt% tetracycline gave an in vitro release of 14 days. Soft and elastic fibers produced from a biodegradable polymer and tetracycline were also developed with even longer duration of release.
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