Electrospun kefiran biocomposite nanofibers as a novel transdermal carrier of pramipexole

The nanostructures of kefiran can be used in different applications such as medicine, drug delivery and biology. Aiming to introduce a novel biocomposite of kefiran usable in drug delivery systems, the biocomposite nanofibers of kefiran/chitosan/poly (vinyl alcohol) (Kf/CS/PVA) were prepared with a bead-less morphology and minimum mean fiber diameter. The optimum concentration of polymers, blend ratios, and electrospinning parameters were chosen based on analyzing the nanofibers by the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The prepared nanofibrous mats were then characterized further with the atomic force microscope (AFM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and contact angle measurement. The prepared nanocomposite was studied as a potential drug carrier for pramipexole dihydrochloride, a widely used treatment for Parkinson’s disease. Pramipexole loaded Kf/PVA and Kf/CS/PVA nanocomposite were fabricated using electrospinning and crosslinked by glutaraldehyde. The release features of all drug-loaded nanofibers were conducted for studying using in vitro dissolution procedure and UV-Visible spectroscopy. Kf/PVA nanofibers showed slow and low drug release properties in contrast to Kf/CS/PVA. Although crosslinked composite nanofibers had slower release behavior than their non-cross-linked counterparts. The maximum release and reaching a steady state of crosslinked Kf/CS/PVA took four days introducing it as the best candidate of kefiran nanocomposite for drug delivery of pramipexole.