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Fabricating Superhydrophobic Polymeric Materials for Biomedical Applications
Published on: August 28, 2015
Electrospun PLA/PCL Membranes for Sustained Transdermal Rifampicin Delivery: Biocompatibility, Stability, and
Esmeralda Juárez1, Elizabeth Ortiz2, Ningel Omar Gama3
1Laboratorio de Alta Contención Biológica, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias Ismael Cosío Villegas, Calz. de Tlalpan 4502, Sección XVI, Tlalpan, Ciudad de México 14080, Mexico.
Polymers
|August 13, 2026
Summary
New electrospun membranes offer sustained transdermal delivery of antibiotics like rifampicin, improving adherence for chronic infections. These biocompatible systems maintain drug efficacy and stability for potential long-term therapeutic use.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Engineering
- Drug Delivery Systems
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Poor adherence to prolonged antibiotic regimens is a significant challenge in treating chronic infectious diseases like tuberculosis.
- Transdermal drug delivery offers a promising alternative to oral administration, potentially improving patient compliance and reducing dosing frequency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate electrospun poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) membranes as transdermal delivery platforms for rifampicin.
- To assess the stability, biocompatibility, and drug release kinetics of these novel membranes.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of homogeneous nanofibrous membranes using electrospinning of PLA and PCL.
- Assessment of membrane structural integrity, tensile strength, and dimensional stability under accelerated aging conditions.
- In vitro cytotoxicity and biocompatibility testing with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).
- In vitro transdermal permeation studies using a mouse skin model and assessment of rifampicin's antimycobacterial activity.
Main Results:
- Successfully fabricated PLA/PCL nanofibrous membranes with efficient rifampicin incorporation and preserved structural integrity.
- Electrospun membranes demonstrated excellent stability after accelerated temperature-humidity aging.
- In vitro assays confirmed the systems' biocompatibility, showing no significant cytotoxic or pro-inflammatory responses.
- Sustained rifampicin release was observed for at least 72 hours in vitro, with preserved antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis.
Conclusions:
- Electrospun PLA/PCL membranes show potential as stable, biocompatible transdermal antibiotic delivery systems.
- These platforms enable sustained release of rifampicin while maintaining its biological functionality.
- This study supports the translational potential of electrospun polymeric platforms for controlled antibiotic delivery in chronic infectious disease therapies.
