Optimised release of tetracycline hydrochloride from core-sheath fibres produced by pressurised gyration

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in the design, processing, and use of core-sheath fibres, especially in the production of wound healing bandages and drug delivery. In this research, a novel core-sheath pressurised gyration technique was utilised to create antibacterial fibre patches (tetracycline hydrochloride, TEHCL) using polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and polycaprolactone (PCL). Antibiotic patches showed uniform fibres with a porous surface giving rise to a biphasic delivery system, which provided an initial burst of 30–48% drug release in the first 24 h followed by a constant rate of release throughout the course of 168 h, suitable for wound-dressings application. The effect of operating parameters on fibre morphology, the influence of the core-sheath structure and drug loading as well as a mathematical modelling was investigated and analysed. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry results demonstrated successful TEHCL encapsulation as well as the presence of both polymers in the core-sheath fibres. The surface morphology of the fibres was studied using scanning electron microscopy and the core-sheath structure was verified using confocal scanning microscopy. Therefore, the core-sheath pressurised gyration method offers an exciting chance to customise fibre patches in a hybrid polymeric system. These advancements are crucial in the world of healthcare to meet demands where antibacterial dressings cannot be produced rapidly or when a personalised approach is necessary.