Christodoulou Evi, Chondromatidou Anastasia, Bikiaris Nikolaos D, Balla Evangelia, Vlachou Marilena, Barmpalexis Panagiotis, Bikiaris Dimitrios N
Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Technology, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Technology, Division of Pharmaceutical Technology, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Pharmaceutics. 2025 Apr 30;17(5):589. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics17050589.
: Polymeric nanofibers are promising platforms for skin treatment applications due to their large surface area and high porosity, which promote enhanced drug delivery. This study aimed to develop and compare poly(lactic acid)-based (PLA) nanofibrous mats, using linear PLA and a star-like PLA-pentaerythritol (PLA-PE) copolymer, as carriers for transdermal delivery of the antibacterial agent levofloxacin (LEV). : Electrospinning was employed to fabricate nanofibers from PLA and PLA-PE solutions. Spinning parameters and polymer concentrations (10% / PLA and 20% / PLA-PE) were optimized to produce uniform fibers. LEV was loaded at 10% and 20% /. A sum of complementary characterization techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), were applied to comparatively investigate the fibers' morphology, structural properties, and crystallinity. Drug loading, porosity, degradation, and in vitro release profiles were evaluated. : PLA-PE nanofibers demonstrated smaller diameters and higher porosity (up to 90.1%) compared to PLA (82.4%), leading to enhanced drug loading (up to 34.78%) and faster degradation (55% vs. 43% mass loss over 60 days). Drug release exhibited a biphasic profile with an initial burst followed by sustained release. PLA-PE formulations released up to 60.2% LEV, compared to 38.1% for PLA counterparts. : The star-like PLA-PE copolymer enhances nanofiber properties relevant to the desired application, including porosity, degradation rate, and drug release. These findings suggest that PLA-PE is a promising material for developing advanced transdermal antibiotic delivery systems.
由于具有大的表面积和高孔隙率，这有利于增强药物递送，聚合物纳米纤维是用于皮肤治疗应用的有前景的平台。本研究旨在开发并比较基于聚乳酸（PLA）的纳米纤维垫，使用线性PLA和星状聚乳酸-季戊四醇（PLA-PE）共聚物，作为抗菌剂左氧氟沙星（LEV）经皮递送的载体。：采用静电纺丝法从PLA和PLA-PE溶液中制备纳米纤维。优化纺丝参数和聚合物浓度（10%/PLA和20%/PLA-PE）以生产均匀的纤维。LEV的负载量为10%和20%/。应用包括扫描电子显微镜（SEM）、红外光谱（FTIR）、X射线衍射（XRD）和差示扫描量热法（DSC）在内的一系列互补表征技术，对纤维的形态、结构性质和结晶度进行比较研究。评估了药物负载、孔隙率、降解和体外释放曲线。：与PLA（82.4%）相比，PLA-PE纳米纤维表现出更小的直径和更高的孔隙率（高达90.1%），导致更高的药物负载（高达34.78%）和更快的降解（60天内质量损失分别为55%和43%）。药物释放呈现双相曲线，先是初始突释，然后是持续释放。PLA-PE制剂释放高达60.2%的LEV，而PLA对应制剂为38.1%。：星状PLA-PE共聚物增强了与所需应用相关的纳米纤维性能，包括孔隙率、降解速率和药物释放。这些发现表明PLA-PE是开发先进经皮抗生素递送系统的有前景的材料。
