Abstract
Ciprofloxacin-loaded poly(vinylpyrrolidinone) (PVP) and dextran sulfate (Dex) (PVP/Dex) nanofibers were prepared using the emulsion electrospinning method. The physical and morphological characteristics of the prepared nanofibers were evaluated by conducting a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The polymer-polymer and polymer-drug interactions were determined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Moreover, the formation of the core-shell structure was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and confocal laser microscopy. The sustained release behavior was evaluated using ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, and its kinetic mechanism was investigated using Korsmeyer-Peppas, Peppas-Sahlin, and Weibull models by a non-linear regression equation. The antibacterial properties were evaluated using the disc diffusion method with respect to several wound gram-positive (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Klebsiella pneumoniae) and gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium, and Proteus vulgaris). In general, the release behavior of Ciprofloxacin from PVP/Dex is controlled by diffusion in the delivery system.