DOI: 10.36347/sajp

Pages: 66-70

Treatment costs of cardiovascular-related diseases have been predicted to surpass 3×1011$ by 2030, according to the American Heart Association. New clinical approaches have been implemented to engineer fibrous materials that can provide efficient local delivery of various pharmaceutical agents, such as anti-coagulants. Electrospinning is a costefficient technology that can fabricate biomimetic structures as suitable candidates for drug delivery systems (DDS). A clinically successful combination of anti-coagulants is acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and dipyridamole (DIP). Aim of this study was to formulate and characterize a dual drug delivery system made by biocompatible and biodegradable polymers, encapsulating the aforementioned pharmaceuticals. Three distinct types of fiber mats were fabricated. ASA only, DIP only and ASA+DIP fibers had an average diameter of 0.84 ± 0.27μm, 1.05 ± 0.34μm, and 0.64 ± 0.2μm, respectively. The cumulative drug release of both pharmaceuticals showcased a bi-phasic profile with an initial burst release and a secondary gradual phase that lasted for more than 90 days. Both anti-coagulants followed a Fickian diffusion release mechanism that was confirmed after fitting of the experimental data. In a nutshell, the obtained results indicate that electrospun PCL/PLA fibers could be used as a DDS in cardiovascular diseases.