Incorporation of ethylcellulose microparticles containing a model drug with a bitter taste into nanofibrous mats by the electrospinning technique - preliminary studies

Electrospinning is considered a simple and comprehensive technique to formulate ultrafine fibres by using an electric field. Polymeric nanofibers constitute promising materials in biomedical applications as drug delivery systems. For their preparation, both natural and synthetic polymers are utilised. Owing to the potential use of electrospun nanofibers as an orodispersible drug dosage form, ethylcellulose microparticles containing the antihistamine drug rupatadine fumarate, prepared by the spray drying technique to conceal the drug’s bitter taste, were incorporated into nanofibers. The obtained nanofibrous mats were evaluated for morphology, mechanical strength, disintegration time, the drug solid state and acceptability in terms of taste masking efficiency. Preliminary studies showed that hypromellose used as a single polymer was not a suitable substance for the manufacturing of nanofibers. Therefore, in order to facilitate the obtention of homogeneous nonwovens, different grades of polyethylene oxide (2,000,000–2M-Da and 4,000,000–4M-Da) were added, which improved the quality of the prepared mats. Nanofibers of the most satisfactory quality were obtained from hypromellose (6.5% w/v) and PEO (2M, 0.5% w/v). SEM image analysis has shown that the nanofibers were homogeneous and smooth and possessed a fast disintegration time (below 30 s) and an adequate drug content with a simultaneous taste-masking effect (as indicated by the in vivo and in vitro methods). However, further studies are necessary to refine their mechanical characteristics