TY  - JOUR
N1  - © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
This is an open access article under the CC BY license (
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
)
TI  - Making nanofibres of mucoadhesive polymer blends for vaginal therapies
VL  - 70
AV  - public
Y1  - 2015/09//
SP  - 186
EP  - 196
JF  - European Polymer Journal
A1  - Brako, F
A1  - Raimi-Abraham, B
A1  - Mahalingam, S
A1  - Craig, DQM
A1  - Edirisinghe, M
KW  - Gyration
KW  -  Pressure
KW  -  Nanofibre
KW  -  Mucoadhesion
KW  -  Vaginal
KW  -  Delivery
N2  - Nanofibres from mucoadhesive polymers could combine their material properties with
unique structural characteristics for superior drug delivery performance. However, due
to their chain structure a significant proportion of mucoadhesive polymers such as polysac-
charides cannot be easily spun into fibres. In this study, we demonstrate the possibility of
using polymer blends for the preparation of nanofibres that offer substantial mucoadhesive
capabilities. Fibres from four different polymers were obtained by pressurised gyration at
different working pressures and a rotation speed of 24,000 rpm. Electron microscopy indi-
cates that structurally well-defined fibres with diameters from less than 100 nm upwards
were successfully produced. Quantitative relationships between the physical properties
and fibre characteristics were established while the fibre compositions were confirmed
to contain features likely to confer mucoadhesive properties. Finally, a combination of tex-
ture analysis and atomic force microscopy was used to verify the benefit of transforming
polymer powders into nanofibre structures, as far as mucoadhesive potential is concerned.
ID  - discovery1472402
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2015.07.006
SN  - 0014-3057
ER  -