Fast-dissolving electroactive drug delivery systems: Gelatin/Poly(sulphonic acid diphenyl aniline) electrospun nanofibers

Abstract

In this study, bovine gelatin (Gel)/poly(sulfonic acid diphenyl aniline) (PSDA) electrospun nanofibers were produced with PSDA, a water-soluble polyzwitterion ion thanks to sulfonyl groups, and Gel, a biocompatible and biodegradable natural polymer. These electrospun nanofibers are both electroactive and water-soluble. Cyclic voltammetry technique was used to examine the electroactivity of these nanofibers, which were used as unsupported direct working electrodes. According to the cyclic voltammograms, when the PSDA ratio in Gel/PSDA nanofibers was increased from 5% to 20%, the highest oxidation current value increased from 3.29 nA to 14.33 nA. These water-soluble electroactive nanofibers were loaded with methimazole as a model drug, and their cumulative release occurred within a few seconds. FTIR, UV-Vis spectroscopy, TG/DTA, XRD, DMA, SEM and EDS were used for characterizations. These water-based fast-dissolving electroactive Gel/PSDA electrospun nanofibers, presented for the first time in this study, were produced safely, quickly and at relatively low cost. In addition to being used as a new watersoluble drug delivery system, these nanofibers can also be used in other bioapplications such as biosensors and tissue engineering because they are electroactive.