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Surfactant Interactions and Solvent Phase Solubility Modulate Small Molecule Release from Emulsion Electrospun Fibers
  • Pamela Johnson,
  • Justin Lehtinen,
  • Jennifer Robinson
Pamela Johnson
University of Kansas School of Engineering

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Justin Lehtinen
University of Kansas School of Engineering
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Jennifer Robinson
University of Kansas School of Engineering
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Abstract

Emulsion electrospinning represents a tunable system for the fabrication of porous scaffolds for controlled, localized drug delivery in tissue engineering applications. This study aimed to elucidate the role of model drug interactions with emulsion chemistry on loading and release rates from fibers with controlled fiber diameter and fiber volume fraction. Nile Red and Rhodamine B were used as model drugs and encapsulation efficiency and release rates were determined from poly(caprolactone) (PCL) electrospun fibers spun either with no surfactant (Span 80), surfactant, or water-in-oil emulsions. Drug loading efficiency and release rates were modulated by both surfactant and aqueous internal phase in the emulsions as a function of drug molecule hydrophobicity. Overall, these results demonstrate the role of intermolecular interactions and drug phase solubility on the release from emulsion electrospun fibers and highlight the need to independently control these parameters when designing fibers for use as tunable drug delivery systems.
20 May 2021Submitted to AIChE Journal
22 May 2021Submission Checks Completed
22 May 2021Assigned to Editor
27 May 2021Reviewer(s) Assigned
08 Aug 2021Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
17 Sep 20211st Revision Received
18 Sep 2021Submission Checks Completed
18 Sep 2021Assigned to Editor
21 Sep 2021Editorial Decision: Accept
Dec 2021Published in AIChE Journal volume 67 issue 12. 10.1002/aic.17470