Fast delivery of melatonin from electrospun blend polyvinyl alcohol and polyethylene oxide (PVA/PEO) fibers

Water-soluble polymers possess great advantages in current drug delivery systems, such as fast delivery through polymer matrix dissolution as well as promoting solid dispersion of poorly water-soluble drugs. In this work, water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyethylene oxide (PEO) were blended (50/50) to electrospin with and without the incorporation of a model drug, melatonin (MLT), at various blend polymer concentrations. Results suggested that increasing blend PVA/PEO solution concentrations, up to 7 wt%, promoted the formation of smooth and defect-free drug-incorporating fibers with an average fiber diameter ranged from 300 to 700 nm. Mechanical properties of the blank and MLT-loaded PVA/PEO fibers showed dependence on fiber morphologies and fiber mat structures, due to polymer concentrations for electrospinning. Furthermore, the surface wettability of the blend PVA/PEO fibers were investigated and further correlated with the MLT release profile of the fibers. Results suggested that fiber mats with a more well-defined fiber structure promoted a linear release behavior within 10 minutes in vitro. These drug-incorporated fibers were compatible to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) up to 24 hours. In general, this work demonstrated the structure-property correlations of electrospun PVA/PEO fibers and their potential biomedical applications in fast delivery of small molecule drugs.