Introducing electrospun polylactic acid incorporating etched halloysite nanotubes as a new nanofibrous web for controlled release of Amoxicillin

Abstract

The use of electrospun membrane is of great importance to control the drug release rate and improve the remedial performance. In this work, etched halloysite nanotubes (eHNTs) loaded with Amoxicillin (AMX) were imbedded in poly(lactic acid) (PLA) solution and were electrospun to make nanocomposite fibrous web. The morphology, uniformity, and size of electrospun (PLA/eHNTs/AMX) nanocomposite fibers were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), tensile test, and water contact angle measurement were employed, respectively, to investigate the chemical structure, mechanical properties, and surface wettability of samples. Results showed that the presence of eHNTs does not considerably change the morphology of nanofibrous mats but partly increases the fiber diameter from 382 nm for PLA, to 1143 nm for PLA/HNTs 5%; while the mechanical properties are modified owing to eHNTs’ high modulus. In current work, the modulus is equal to 12.57 MPa and has increased significantly compared to PLA nanofibers, 4.29 MPa. According to drug release test, eHNTs as adequate nanocarrier reduced initial burst release and induced sustained AMX release profiles over 168 h. The amount of AMX release after 148 h for PLA/eHNTs/AMX mat is decreased by 73% and 12.5% in comparison with PLA/AMX and PLA/HNTs/AMX mats, respectively.