Needleless electrospinning of poly (Ɛ-caprolactone) nanofibers deposited on gelatin film for controlled release of Ibuprofen

A novel bilayer structure composed of poly (Ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) nanofibers deposited on a hydrogel layer of gelatin (GE) and hyaluronic acid (HA) was prepared via needleless electrospinning with anticipated drug delivery properties. Ibuprofen (IBU) was encapsulated into PCL nanofibers in two different concentrations, i.e., 5 wt% and 7 wt%. Quantification of incorporated IBU of drug-loaded nanofibers was performed by thermogravimetric analysis that proved its successful loading in the nanofibrous structure. The values of Young’s modulus of GH hydrogel films showed appreciable mechanical strength. GH film exhibited a smaller contact angle than PCL nanofibers which advocated its hydrophilicity. Drug release profiles of IBU-loaded bilayer films were studied by UV–vis spectroscopy and a controlled release of IBU up to 45% during 48 h was recorded. The antibacterial analysis of these bilayer samples showed mild inhibition against E. coli bacterial strain in case of IBU-loaded nanofibers, whereas no inhibition against S. epidermidis was observed. Hence, all these findings supported the fact that the IBU-loaded bilayer samples with controlled drug release system and hydrophilicity could be a potential candidate for an effective wound dressing.