Orally Fast Disintegrating Cyclodextrin/Prednisolone Inclusion-Complex Nanofibrous Webs for Potential Steroid Medications

Recent developments in nanofiber-based fast-disintegrating drug delivery systems

INTRODUCTION

Fast-disintegrating electrospun fibers are emerging as innovative systems for oral drug delivery. These fibers possess a high surface area, porosity, and customizable hydrophilicity, which facilitates quick drug release by disintegrating rapidly in biological fluids or upon contact with water.

AREAS COVERED

Hydrophilic polymers and cyclodextrins (CDs), either separately or in combination, are frequently utilized to accelerate the disintegration of electrospun fibers, enhance the solubility of hydrophobic drugs, and improve drug bioavailability, leading to better therapeutic outcomes. Toward this goal, a systematic literature search was conducted to identify experimental studies (2019-2025) in Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Scopus using the keywords ('fast-disintegrating' OR 'fast-dissolving') AND ('electrospinning' OR 'electrospun') AND ('delivery' OR 'release').

EXPERT OPINION

This review examines recent advancements over the past five years in the development of fast-disintegrating drug delivery fibers. It analyzes fiber composition, structural modifications, drug encapsulation routes, and their impact on drug release for oral mucosal delivery. Additionally, it addresses the challenges faced and outlines future directions in the field.

Electrospun nanofibers of curcumin/HP-beta-CD/pullulan complex with enhanced solubility and controlled release in food and drug delivery applications

Curcumin, a hydrophobic drug derived from the rhizome of Curcuma longa, exhibits significant bioactive properties, including antioxidant and antimicrobial potential. However, its poor water solubility and rapid degradation limit its practical applications. This study presents a novel design of electrospun nanofibers using curcumin/hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex (HP-β-CD-IC) combined with pullulan to enhance thermal stability and controlled release. In uniaxial nanofibers, curcumin/HP-β-CD-IC is uniformly distributed, whereas in coaxial nanofibers, curcumin/HP-β-CD-IC serves as the core material, with pullulan as the wall material. X-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed successful inclusion complex formation, with coaxial fibers showing no crystalline peaks of curcumin. Differential scanning calorimetry indicated enhanced thermal stability, with melting points shifting to 279.19 °C and 291.63 °C for uniaxial and coaxial fibers, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy verified the core-shell structure and uniform morphology. In vitro release studies revealed that coaxial fibers achieved higher cumulative release (93 ± 1.41 %) compared to uniaxial fibers (80 ± 2.82 %) over 350 min. Antibacterial tests demonstrated improved activity of coaxial fibers against S. aureus and E. coli. Addressing the critical need for stable and bioavailable delivery of hydrophobic bioactive compounds, this innovative coaxial nanofiber design holds great promise for revolutionizing applications in food technology and drug delivery.

How sugar types and fabrication methods affect palatability in paediatric-friendly oromucosal pullulan films of chlorpromazine hydrochloride

Ensuring children adhere to their prescribed medication can be challenging, particularly when a large number of medicines on the market consist of unpalatable drugs and difficult to swallow dosage forms. Sugar-based oromucosal films are easy to administer dosage forms across all age groups within the paediatric population, as they eliminate the need for swallowing or water intake and can contribute to enhancing palatability and medicine adherence. In the current study, electrospun and 3D printed oromucosal films of chlorpromazine hydrochloride (CHZ), a bitter drug, were developed based on pullulan, a natural polysaccharide, and an array of sweeteners. Their taste masking efficacy was assessed in vitro using an electronic tongue, showing a significant suppression of the bitter taste of CHZ in the presence of sucralose, sucrose and isomalt in the 3D-printed films. In vivo assessment further confirmed that the sugar-based 3D printed films are highly acceptable to volunteers. For the electrospun films, volunteers reported neutral responses for overall acceptability, likely due to their lack of familiarity with this type of formulation. Overall, with improved acceptability and further optimization for taste masking, sugar-based films could serve as a viable alternative to conventional solid oral dosage forms for administering drugs to children.

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of cyclodextrin-based oral drug delivery formulations for disease therapy

Oral drug administration has become the most common and preferred mode of disease treatment due to its good medication adherence and convenience. For orally administered drugs, the safety, efficacy, and targeting ability requirements have grown as disease treatment research advances. It is difficult to obtain prominent efficacy of traditional drugs simply via oral administration. Numerous studies have demonstrated that cyclodextrins (CDs) can improve the clinical applications of certain orally administered drugs by enhancing their water solubility and masking undesirable odors. Additionally, deeper studies have discovered that CDs can influence disease treatment by altering the drug pharmacokinetics (PK) or pharmacodynamics (PD). This review highlights recent research progress on the PK and PD effects of CD-based oral drug delivery in disease therapy. Firstly, the review describes the characteristics of current drug delivery modes in oral administration. Besides, we minutely summarized the different CD-containing drugs, focusing on the impact of CD-based alterations in PK or PD of orally administered drugs in treating diseases. Finally, we deeply discussed current challenges and future opportunities with regard to PK and PD of CD-based oral drug delivery formulations.

Orally fast dissolving α-lipoic acid electrospun nanofibers mitigates lipopolysaccharide induced inflammation in RAW 264.7 macrophages

α-Lipoic acid (LA), a dietary supplement known for its strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential, faces challenges due to its poor aqueous solubility and thermal instability. To address these issues, herein methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (M-β-CD) was utilized to create inclusion complex (IC) of LA in 1:1 M stoichiometric ratio of M-β-CD to LA. The LA-M-β-CD-IC was further combined with pullulan (PUL), a non-toxic and water-soluble biopolymer, for the development of electrospun nanofibers (NF) by green and sustainable approach. The resulting PUL/LA/M-β-CD NF formed as a self-standing and flexible material with an average diameter of 569 ± 129 nm and encapsulation efficiency of ∼86.90 %. The developed NF demonstrated an accelerated release, quick dissolution, and disintegration when exposed to artificial saliva replicating the conditions of oral cavity. PUL/LA/M-β-CD NF attenuated the production of ROS and NO by downregulating pro-inflammatory enzymes (iNOS and COX-2) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Moreover, PUL/LA/M-β-CD NF also significantly downregulated the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β along with suppression of NF-ĸB nuclear translocation in comparison to LA (at 250 μM). In nutshell, PUL/LA/M-β-CD NF demonstrated great potential as a rapid disintegrating delivery system for oral anti-inflammatory treatment due to the enhanced physicochemical characteristics of LA.

Formulation of a fast-disintegrating drug delivery system from cyclodextrin/naproxen inclusion complex nanofibrous films

Naproxen is a well-known non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that suffers from limited water solubility. The inclusion complexation with cyclodextrin (CD) can eliminate this drawback and the free-standing nanofibrous film (NF) generated from these inclusion complexes (ICs) can be a promising alternative formula as an orally disintegrating drug delivery system. For this, naproxen/CD IC NFs were generated using the highly water soluble hydroxypropylated derivative of βCD (HPβCD) with two different molar ratios of 1/1 and 1/2 (drug/CD). The complexation energy calculated by the modeling study demonstrated a more favorable interaction between HPβCD and naproxen for the 1/2 molar ratio than 1/1. HPβCD/naproxen IC NFs were generated with loading concentrations of ∼7-11% and without using toxic chemicals. HPβCD/naproxen IC NFs indicated a faster and enhanced release profile in aqueous medium compared to pure naproxen owing to inclusion complexation. Moreover, rapid disintegration in less than a second was achieved in an artificial saliva environment.

Electrospinning technologies for the delivery of Biopharmaceuticals: Current status and future trends

This review provides an in-depth exploration of electrospinning techniques employed to produce micro- or nanofibres of biopharmaceuticals using polymeric solutions or melts with high-voltage electricity. Distinct from prior reviews, the current work narrows its focus on the recent developments and advanced applications in biopharmaceutical formulations. It begins with an overview of electrospinning principles, covering both solution and melt modes. Various methods for incorporating biopharmaceuticals into electrospun fibres, such as surface adsorption, blending, emulsion, co-axial, and high-throughput electrospinning, are elaborated. The review also surveys a wide array of biopharmaceuticals formulated through electrospinning, thereby identifying both opportunities and challenges in this emerging field. Moreover, it outlines the analytical techniques for characterizing electrospun fibres and discusses the legal and regulatory requirements for their production. This work aims to offer valuable insights into the evolving realm of electrospun biopharmaceutical delivery systems.

Green Synthesis of Polycyclodextrin/Drug Inclusion Complex Nanofibrous Hydrogels: pH-Dependent Release of Acyclovir

The development of an approach or a material for wound healing treatments has drawn a lot of attention for decades and has been an important portion of the research in the medical industry. Especially, there is growing interest and demand for the generation of wound care products using eco-friendly conditions. Electrospinning is one of these methods that enables the production of nanofibrous materials with attractive properties for wound healing under mild conditions and by using sustainable sources. In this study, starch-derived cyclodextrin (hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD)) was used both for forming an inclusion complex (IC) with acyclovir, a well-known antiviral drug, and for electrospinning of free-standing nanofibers. The nanofibers were produced in an aqueous system, without using a carrier polymer matrix and toxic solvent/chemical. The ultimate HPβCD/acyclovir-IC nanofibers were thermally cross-linked by using citric acid, listed in the generally regarded as safe (GRAS) category by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The cross-linked HPβCD/acyclovir-IC nanofibers displayed stability in aqueous medium. The hydrogel-forming feature of nanofibers was confirmed with their high swelling profile in water in the range of ∼610-810%. Cellulose acetate (CA)/acyclovir nanofibers were also produced as the control sample. Due to inclusion complexation with HPβCD, the solubility of acyclovir was improved, so cross-linked HPβCD/acyclovir-IC nanofibrous hydrogels displayed a better release performance compared to CA/acyclovir nanofibers. Here, a pH-dependent release profile was obtained (pH 5.4 and pH 7.4) besides their attractive swelling features. Therefore, the cross-linked HPβCD/acyclovir-IC nanofibrous hydrogel can be a promising candidate as a wound healing dressing for the administration of antiviral drugs by holding the unique properties of CD and electrospun nanofibers.

Preparation, Characterization, and Antioxidant Activity of L-Ascorbic Acid/HP-β-Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complex-Incorporated Electrospun Nanofibers

L-Ascorbic acid (LAA) is a key vitamin, implicated in a variety of physiological processes in humans. Due to its free radical scavenging activity, it is extensively employed as an excipient in pharmaceutical products and food supplements. However, its application is greatly impeded by poor thermal and aqueous stability. Herein, to improve the stability and inhibit oxidative degradation, we prepared LAA-cyclodextrin inclusion complex-incorporated nanofibers (NFs). The continuous variation method (Job plot) demonstrated that LAA forms inclusions with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) at a 2:1 molar stoichiometric ratio. The NFs were prepared via the single step electrospinning technique, without using any polymer matrix. The solid-state characterizations of LAA/HP-β-CD-NF via powder x-ray diffractometry (PXRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR and 2D-NOESY) spectroscopy, reveal the effective encapsulation of the LAA (guest molecule) inside the HP-β-CD (host) cavity. The SEM micrograph reveals an average fiber diameter of ~339 nm. The outcomes of the thermal investigations demonstrated that encapsulation of LAA within HP-β-CD cavities provides improved thermal stability of LAA (by increasing the thermal degradation temperature). The radical scavenging assay demonstrated the enhanced antioxidant potential of LAA/HP-β-CD-NF, as compared to native LAA. Overall, the study shows that cyclodextrin inclusion complex-incorporated NFs, are an effective approach for improving the limitations associated with LAA, and provide promising avenues in its therapeutic and food applications.

Rapid Sublingual Delivery of Piroxicam from Electrospun Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complex Nanofibers

Piroxicam (Px) is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used for the treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. It is administered orally; however, its poor water solubility causes low loading to the nonconventional drug delivery systems (DDSs), such as electrospun fibers. Furthermore, the rapid dissolution of DDS and fast release of the embedded drugs are crucial for oral delivery of drugs to patients who are unconscious or suffering from dysphagia. In this regard, this study reports the development of rapidly dissolving cyclodextrin (CD)-based inclusion complex (IC) nanofibers by waterborne electrospinning for fast oral delivery of Px. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed the formation of bead-free fibers with a mean diameter range of 170-500 nm at various concentrations of Px; increasing the Px loading decreased the fiber diameter. The formation of IC was demonstrated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis by the disappearance of crystalline peaks of Px. Likewise, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis showed the disappearance of the melting peak of the embedded Px due to IC formation. Both Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) confirmed the presence of Px within the fibers. ¹H NMR experiments demonstrated Px preservation in the fibers after six months. Px-loaded nanofibers were employed for sublingual drug delivery. To mimic the environment of the mouth, the nanofibers were treated with artificial saliva, which revealed the instant dissolution of the nanofibers. Furthermore, dissolution experiments were performed on the tissues wetted with artificial saliva, where the dissolution of the fibers could be extended to a few seconds, demonstrating the suitability of the materials for sublingual oral drug delivery. Overall, this paper, for the first time, reports the rapid oral delivery of Px from polymer-free CD fibers produced by waterborne electrospinning without the requirement of any carrier polymer and toxic solvent.

Ondansetron/Cyclodextrin inclusion complex nanofibrous webs for potential orally fast-disintegrating antiemetic drug delivery

Ondansetron (ODS) is an effective antiemetic drug which suffers from limited solubility and bioavailability during oral administration due to first-pass metabolism. However, these limitations can be mitigated through inclusion complexation with cyclodextrins (CDs). In this study, we have reported the electrospinning of polymer-free, free-standing ODS/CD nanofibrous webs (NW), a promising approach for developing a fast-disintegrating delivery system of an antiemetic drug molecule. Highly water soluble hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrins (HPβCD) were used as both complexation agent and electrospinning matrix. The computational study revealed that the 1/2 (drug/CD) stoichiometry was more favorable compared to 1/1. The ODS/HPβCD NW was obtained with higher loading efficiency (∼96 %) compared to the control sample of ODS/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) NW (∼80 %). The amorphous distribution of ODS raised by complexation and the highly water-soluble nature of HPβCD resulted into faster and better release profile and quite faster disintegration property (∼2 s) in artificial saliva than polymeric ODS/PVA NW. Here, ODS/HPβCD NW was generated in the absence of a toxic solvent or chemical to enable the drug loading in an amorphous state. From all reasons above, ODS/HPβCD NW might be a promising alternative to the polymeric based systems for the purpose of fast-disintegrating oral drug delivery.