Biocompatible electrospun nanofibers containing cloxacillin: Antibacterial activity and effect of pH on the release profile

Author(s)

Schneider, Rodrigo ^{[1, 2]} ; Mercante, Luiza A. ^{[1, 3]} ; Andre, Rafaela S. ^[1] ; Brandao, Humberto de M. ^[4] ; Mattoso, Luiz H. C. ^{[1, 3]} ; Correa, Daniel S. ^{[1, 2]}

Affiliation

^[1] Embrapa Instrumentacao, Nanotechnol Natl Lab Agr LNNA, BR-13560970 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[2] Fed Univ Sao Carlos UFSCar, Ctr Exact Sci & Technol, PPGQ Dept Chem, BR-13565905 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[3] Fed Univ Sao Carlos UFSCar, Ctr Exact Sci & Technol, Dept Mat Engn, PPG CEM, BR-13565905 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[4] EMBRAPA Gado Leite, Rua Eugenio Nascimento 610, BR-36038330 Juiz De Fora, MG - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: REACTIVE & FUNCTIONAL POLYMERS; v. 132, p. 26-35, NOV 2018.
• Web of Science Citations: 5

Abstract

The effectiveness of antibiotics toward resistant strains of bacteria has brought serious concerns related to human and animal health. Controlled drug release systems, especially those based on polymer and polymer-based nanostructures appears as a remarkable approach, once they can potentially improve the therapeutic outcomes toward bacterial infections, while requiring lower amounts of drugs. The current study was designed to investigate the incorporation and release profile of a drug loaded in biodegradable electrospun nanofibrous membranes, based on the drug-polymer interactions, as well as its ability to inhibit bacterial growth. For that purpose, nanofibrous membranes of Ecovio (R) (EC), a polymer blend composed by poly (lactic acid) (PLA)/poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), loaded with different cloxacillin (CLOX) contents were successfully produced via electrospinning technique. Electrospun nanofibers of EC unloaded and loaded with drug presented smooth surface with a mean diameter close to 600 nm. The physical-chemical characterizations by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) confirmed the successful drug encapsulation achieved by electrospinning technique. In vitro studies revealed that the developed drug-loaded nanofibrous membrane was successful in inhibiting S. aureus growth. The cumulative release of drug from EC nanofibrous membranes containing 20% of CLOX was demonstrated to be pH dependent, where the antibiotic release rate was much faster for pH 7.3 than that for pH 5.5. In this way, the mechanism involved in the release could be either Fickian or non-Fickian depending on the pH environment. The simple and efficient strategy presented here to develop antimicrobial nanofibrous membrane make them promising for drug delivery carrier and wound dressing applications. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/23793-4 - Development of nanostructured sensor aiming the detection of volatile compounds for food quality indicators
• Grantee: Rafaela da Silveira Andre
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 17/12174-4 - Development of hybrid polymer nanofibers for agricultural applications
• Grantee: Daniel Souza Corrêa
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants