Fabrication of porous, drug-releasing, biodegradable, polymer scaffolds for sustained drug release.

Two different approaches were used to fabricate porous scaffolds, and their in vitro drug releasing characteristics were examined. In the first method, a poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) solution and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) + acetaminophen solution was homogenized. The emulsion was then blended with a PLLA solution in chloroform. The resultant emulsion was freeze-dried to form porous scaffolds. Various combinations were obtained by varying homogenizer speed and blender speed, and by varying the concentration of PVA and acetaminophen solutions. The in vitro drug-release study was performed for 6 days in a phosphate buffer. The influence of structure, porosity, and drug concentration of the scaffolds on drug-release rate was examined using design of experiments. In the second approach, scaffolds were prepared in layered constructs, with either a three-layered or five-layered structure. The PVA + acetaminophen solution was blended with PLLA solution using a blender. The drug-release study was performed for 19 days. The effect of drug concentration, blender speed, and the thickness of the layers on drug-release rate was examined.