Abstract
We report in this work coaxial electrospun fibers with potential applications in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. The fibers comprise a fixed dose combination (FDC) containing the active ingredients levodopa and carbidopa, loaded in a fast dissolving polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) shell and an insoluble but swellable Eudragit((R)) RLPO core. Under appropriate processing conditions we are able to prepare fibers with distinct core/shell architectures and diameters of approximately 400 nm. X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry analyses revealed that the drugs are dispersed on the molecular level within the polymer carriers, and IR spectroscopy indicated the presence of intermolecular interactions. At pH 1, the composite fibers yields extended release over more than 8 h, with an initial loading dose being freed from the PVP shell and then a sustained release phase following from the insoluble core. This is markedly extended over the release period of the commercial FDC product, and thus the fibers generated here have the potential to be used to reduce the required dosing frequency.