Improved release of sulfamethoxazole from electrospun water soluble fibers

Electrospun fibers containing an active component, sulfamethoxazole, were successfully prepared from three water-soluble polymers, poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC). The conditions of electrospinning had to be optimized individually for the three systems. The presence of the drug did not influence fiber characteristics significantly, the diameter of the fibers increased only slightly upon the addition of the drug. Detailed investigations proved that the drug is located within the fibers in the amorphous form facilitating release. The strong pH sensitivity of the dissolution of the drug decreased considerably by encapsulation into the fibers. Drug release from the fibers is much faster than the dissolution of the neat drug and the relative amount of dissolved drug is also considerably larger (95 % vs. 30 %) from fibers encapsulating it. PVP seems to be the best selection for the preparation of electrospun fibers containing sulfamethoxazole, encapsulation is the largest (90.1 %) and drug release is the fastest from it among the three polymers. The preparation of formulations from sulfamethoxazole by electrospinning is clearly beneficial and must increase the bioavailability of this BCS IV drug.