Electrospun nanofibrous polymeric scaffold with targeted drug release profiles for potential application as wound dressing

We have successfully fabricated a dual drug release electrospun scaffold containing an anesthetic, lidocaine, and an antibiotic, mupirocin. Two drugs with different lipophilicities were electrospun from a poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) solution with a dual spinneret electrospinning apparatus into a single scaffold. The release of the drugs from the scaffold showed different profiles for the two drugs. Lidocaine hydrochloride exhibited an initial burst release (80% release within an hour) followed by a plateau after the first few hours. Mupirocin exhibited only a 5% release in the first hour before experiencing a more sustained release to provide antibacterial action for over 72 h. For comparative purposes, both drugs were spun from a single spinneret and evaluated to determine their release profiles. The scaffold maintained its antibiotic activity throughout the processes of electrospinning and gas sterilization and supported cell viability. It has been reported in the literature that interactions between polymer and drug are known to govern the pattern of drug release from electrospun scaffolds. Here, it was found that the presence of the two drugs in the same polymer matrix altered the release kinetics of at least one drug. Based on the release profiles obtained, the dual spinneret technique was the preferred method of scaffold fabrication over the single spinneret technique to obtain a prototype wound healing device.