Investigate release of DOX drug in electrospun DOX@SiO2/PVA nanofiber

Abstract Electrospinning nanofibers (NFs) are an operational release system for drugs due to the high specific surface area. In this study, doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) is added to a mixture of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS, Si (OC₂H₅)), hydrochloric acid (HCL), ethanol (C₂H₅OH), DOX, and distilled water during the formation of SiO₂ using the sol-gel approach. The obtained DOX@SiO₂ nanoparticles are then added into a 7% (wt) solution of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in water before electrospinning process. The prepared solution is delivered into the syringe for electrospinning. The morphology and structure of the fibers was studied by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the occurrence of DOX attachment. Continual DOX release with three concentrations and in three types of pH was evaluated for several days. Finally, the results showed that drug release of nanofiber at pH = 5.4 compared to the other two pHs at the period of 540 hours has an approximate efficiency of 80%, 60% and 30% for a concentration of 2 ,1 and 0.5 ml, respectively. This method has high drug loading capacity and sustained release and therefore it could be considered as a suitable strategy for drug delivery systems.