Fast Dissolution Nanofiber Membrane of Ferulic Acid Prepared Using Electrospinning

Fast dissolution nanofiber membranes were prepared using electrospinning process with Ferulic Acid (FA)--a traditional Chinese medicine as the active pharmaceutical ingredients and a pharmaceutical hydrophilic polymer--polyvinylpyrrolidone K30 as the filament-forming matrix. Field Emission Scanning Electronic Microscopy (FE-SEM), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectra (ATR-FTIR) and in vitro dissolving tests were carried out to characterize the nanofiber membranes. The FE-SEM observations informed that the nanofiber membranes had a uniform structure and smooth surface with a diameter range of 600~800 nm. No any spinning spindles or phase separated drug particles could be discriminated. The results from DSC and ATR-FTIR indicated that the drug had good compatibility with the polymer, the drug was well distributed in the nanofiber membranes as an amorphous physical status through the hydrogen bonding between the C=O group of PVP and -OH group of FA. The in vitro dissolution tests showed that the nanofiber membranes dissolved very quickly, leading to the improving dissolution profiles of the loaded FA. The electrospun nanofiber membranes prepared from pharmaceutical hydrophilic polymers are able to provide novel strategy for enhancing the dissolution rate of poorly water-soluble traditional Chinese medicine.