Electrospun cellulose acetate nanofiber mats of naproxen esters

Cellulose acetate (CA) is the acetate ester of cellulose, the primary structural component of the cell wall of green plants and is one of the most common biopolymers on earth. CA has been fabricated as semi-permeable membranes for separation processes and fibers and films for biomedical applications. Most drugs such as ketoprofen and naproxen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) show unsuitable physicochemical properties, various strategies to aid skin penetration have been studied. The prodrug approach represents an alternative method of enhancing the skin permeability of drugs. In the current work, nanofibers of CA loaded with the ester prodrugs of naproxen, including methyl ester, ethyl ester and isopropyl ester, were prepared by electrostatic spinning The morphology of the medicated nanofibers was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results indicated that the morphology and diameter of the nanofibers were influenced by concentration of spinnable solution, applied voltage and the electrospun solvent, and there is good compatibility between cellulose acetate and the ester prodrugs of naproxen in the blended nanofibers.