ELECTROSPUN CHITOSAN/PVA NANOFIBERS FOR DRUG DELIVERY

Abstract

Electrospinning technique is a versatile method to fabricate continuous fibers with diameters ranging from a few micrometers to a few nanometers. In this study, chitosan/ poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanofibers were fabricated by an electrospinning method. The effects of chitosan molecular weights and ratio of chitosan/PVA were studied. The characteristics and surface morphologies of nanofibers were observed by the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The diameters of nanofibers were in the range of 100 nm to 250 nm. The chitosan/PVA nanofibers with different molecular weights were applied for curcumin delivery. Curcumin was loaded in the chitosan/PVA nanofibers. Then, release profile of curcumin was investigated. In the results, the encapsulation efficiency and the release rate demonstrate that chitosan/PVA nanofibers would be potential carriers for curcumin and promise to create a prospective drug delivery in the field of medicine.