In vitro degradation and release profiles for electrospun polymeric fibers containing paracetanol

In the paper, the poly(d,l-lactide) (PDLLA) and poly(ethylene glycol)-co-poly(d,l-lactide) (PELA) fibers with and without paracetanol drug loading were prepared with an electrospinning method. The morphology of the fibers was observed by scanning electronic microscope (SEM). Their glass transition temperatures (Tg) were measured with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The water contact angle (CA) measurement was also performed to characterize surface properties of fibers. At 37 °C in a PBS buffer solution (pH 7.4), in vitro matrix degradation profiles of these fibers were characterized by measuring their weight loss, the molecular weight decrease, and their morphology change. The result showed that the effects of fiber diameter and porosities on the degradation of the electrospun scaffolds might exceed the effects of the molecular weight and the PEG contents, which was different from the polymeric microspheres degradation. In vitro paracetanol release profiles were also investigated in the same condition. The result showed that the drug burst release behaviour was mainly related with the drug–polymer compatibility and the followed sustained release phase depended on polymer degradation.