RESUMO
The improving effect of electrospun drug-loaded nanofibers on the solubility of poorly water-soluble drug was investigated in the present research. Drug-loaded nanofibers were successfully prepared using electrospinning process with helicid as the poorly water-soluble model drug and polyvinylpyrrolidone K60 (PVP K60) as the filament-forming matrix. Scanning electron microscopy observation demonstrated that the nanofibers had a three-dimensional continuous web structure, and had well smooth surface and a diameter between 400-600 nm. X-ray diffraction results suggested that helicid lost its original crystal structure but highly distributed into the nanofibers in an amorphous state, resulting from the hydrogen bonding interactions between the carboxylic group of PVP K60 and the hydroxyl groups of helicid. The drug-loaded nanofibers obviously improved helicid's solubility, and were able to completely release the whole drug in 60 s. Electrospun drug-loaded nanofibers can improve the solubility and release profiles of poorly water-soluble drug.