Polymeric nanofiber dressings with incorporated rifampicin for transdermal administration

We report the development of a polylactic acid/polycaprolactone (PLA/PCL) nanofiber dressing with rifampicin (RIF) incorporated, designed as a drug delivery system for treating and counteracting problems caused by antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The dressing was obtained by electrospinning and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The RIF content in the dressing was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Its release was evaluated in a physiological liquid medium and in an in vivo study using rats. The nanofibers showed a diameter close to 200 nm. There were not found significant alterations in the FTIR spectra or in the thermal properties of the dressing components after the electrospinning process. The HPLC evaluation suggested that the electrospinning process did not generate chemical changes to RIF, which was incorporated into the dressing with an efficiency >98%. RIF was efficiently released from the dressing into the physiological liquid medium and efficiently released and transdermally absorbed in vivo, being identified in the urine of the animals from 6 to 48 h after starting its administration. Results suggest that the dressing can be used as a dosage pharmaceutical form for the transdermal administration of RIF.