Preparation and characterization of TAM-loaded HPMC/PAN composite fibers for improving drug-release profiles

The present paper reports the preparation and characterization of composite hydroxypropyl methylcellulose/polyacrylonitrile (HPMC/PAN)-medicated fibers via a wet spinning technique. Tamoxifen (TAM) was selected as a model drug. Numerous analyses were conducted to characterize the mechanical, structure and morphology properties of the composite fibers. The drug content and in vitro dissolution behavior were also investigated. SEM images showed that the TAM-loaded HPMC/PAN composite fibers had a finger-like outer skin and a porous structure. FT-IR spectra demonstrated that there was a good compatibility between polymer and drug. Results from X-ray diffraction and DSC suggested that most of the incorporated TAM was evenly distributed in the fiber matrix in an amorphous state, except for a minority that aggregated on the surface of fibers. The drug content in the fibers was lower than that in the spinning solution and about 10% of TAM was lost during spinning process. In vitro dissolution results indicated that, compared to TAM-PAN fibers, HPMC/PAN composite systems had weaker initial burst release effects and more drug-loading. The combination of hydrophilic polymer HPMC with PAN could improve the performance of polymer matrix composite fibers in regulating the drug-release profiles.