Dissolving pharmaceuticals with poor water solubility is a major challenge in new drug delivery.
Over 60% of pharmaceuticals on the market are insoluble in water, so new ways
are being sought to incorporate and deliver these drugs. Nanofibers can be used
to solve these drug solubility issues.
Oral drug delivery strips made from nanofibers show great potential to easily and rapidly deliver
pharmaceuticals to a patient. A recent study investigated the effects
of a polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) nanofiber strip containing ibuprofen. Ibuprofen
is a nonsteroidal anti‑inflammatory drug that's often used as a model
of a drug with poor water solubility. PVP is a safe to ingest, synthetic hydrophilic
polymer widely used in medicine, food and cosmetics. The results of this study demonstrated
that nanofibers improved the oral dissolution rate of ibuprofen. During the first minute after
the patient placed the PVP nanofiber strip in their mouth, 96‑100% of the drug
was released. For comparison, the drug's solubility when applying ibuprofen in powder
form is around 2.5‑7.5%.
The synergistic effects of the hydrophilic polymer, combined with the large surface area
and porosity of the nanofiber strip, and the amorphous state of the drug, aid in
rapid oral delivery.