The addition of supercritical CO2 to a polymeric solution allows to achieve an expanded liquid, characterized by reduced viscosity and surface tension. Thanks to this peculiarity, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) microparticles and microfibers loaded with quercetin (QT) were produced, using a supercritical CO2 assisted electrohydrodynamic process. The experiments were performed at different pressure, applied voltage, and polymer concentration; whereas, QT/PVP ratio was maintained constant at 3.5% w/w in all tested solutions. At 3% w/w PVP, particles with an average diameter of 0.77±0.24 μm were produced. At 15% w/w PVP, fibers were instead obtained, with an average diameter of 2.81±1.38 μm. The transition from electrospray to electrospinning occurred as a consequence of the polymer concentration that determined an increase in the solution viscosity. IR spectroscopy demonstrated the physical dispersion of QT into PVP fibers, and DSC showed that this drug was amorphous after processing. QT bioavailability was improved in the loaded fibers; it was released up to 30 times faster than from the unprocessed powder, and more than 90% of its native antioxidant activity was preserved.
Supercritical assisted electrospray/spinning to produce PVP+quercetin microparticles and microfibers
Guastaferro M.;Baldino L.
;Cardea S.;Reverchon E.
2020-01-01
Abstract
The addition of supercritical CO2 to a polymeric solution allows to achieve an expanded liquid, characterized by reduced viscosity and surface tension. Thanks to this peculiarity, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) microparticles and microfibers loaded with quercetin (QT) were produced, using a supercritical CO2 assisted electrohydrodynamic process. The experiments were performed at different pressure, applied voltage, and polymer concentration; whereas, QT/PVP ratio was maintained constant at 3.5% w/w in all tested solutions. At 3% w/w PVP, particles with an average diameter of 0.77±0.24 μm were produced. At 15% w/w PVP, fibers were instead obtained, with an average diameter of 2.81±1.38 μm. The transition from electrospray to electrospinning occurred as a consequence of the polymer concentration that determined an increase in the solution viscosity. IR spectroscopy demonstrated the physical dispersion of QT into PVP fibers, and DSC showed that this drug was amorphous after processing. QT bioavailability was improved in the loaded fibers; it was released up to 30 times faster than from the unprocessed powder, and more than 90% of its native antioxidant activity was preserved.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
