Implantable 5-fluorouracil loaded chitosan scaffolds prepared by wet spinning

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) loaded scaffolds composed of chitosan fibers were prepared by a modified wet spinning technique. Chitosan aqueous solutions in acetic acid were used. Ethyl alcohol was the main component in the precipitation medium in which glutaraldehyde was utilized as the cross-linker. The scaffolds were quite swellable. Equilibrium swellings (upto about 56.8% swelling ratio) were achieved in about 90 min. 5-FU loading, which was achieved during fiber formation was low and was in the range of 0.21–7.55 mg 5-FU/g chitosan. Drug release, which was investigated in phosphate buffer at physiological conditions, was high at the initial period (in the first 90 min) in parallel to swelling, and reached almost a constant but at a much slower rate after that. Much slower release rates were observed in the initial period when the cross-linker density was high.