Preparation and Drug Release of PVA Composite Nanofibers Loaded Chitosan Microsphere

In this paper, we reported the fabrication of poly(vinyl alcohol)-chitosan (PVA-CS) microspheres composite nanofibers by electrospinning technique. The chitosan microspheres were firstly prepared by electrospray with the solution of chitosan and combretastatin A4. The morphology and size distribution of chitosan microspheres were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The influencing factors including the concentrations of both PVA and CS microspheres were studied. The physical properties of the composite nanofibers were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The drug release rate, MTT toxicity test, and cell culture were also investigated in detail. Results indicate that the chitosan microsphere-loaded composite nanofibers can be prepared when the PVA concentration is 120 mg/mL. The continuity of the nanofibers was influenced by the concentration of CS microspheres. The characteristic peaks of CS or PVA were not observed in the diffractograms after the CS and PVA were processed using the high-voltage electrostatic technique. In addition, the drug release rate showed that nanofibers induce an obvious slow-release effect. Composite nanofibers were non-toxic to fibroblasts cells, and the fibroblasts cells could proliferate on the nanofiber mat.