Controlled release of ketoprofen from electrospun porous polylactic acid (PLA) nanofibers

Electrospun fibers can be promising drug carriers for future biomedical applications. In this work, electrospun PLA fibers were developed as a new system for the delivery of ketoprofen which is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. For effective control of drug release, porous PLA fiber was prepared by phase separation during electrospinning. The release of various contents of ketoprofen from the electrospun PLA fiber was investigated at body temperature (37 °C) and at room temperature (20 °C). The release rates of the ketoprofen drug from the PLA/ketoprofen fibers showed a relatively higher release rate at 37 °C than at 20 °C. As the ketoprofen content increased, the release effect (cumulative drug released) increased. Thermal characteristic of PLA/ketoprofen fiber was also analyzed.