Compressed nanofibrous oral tablets: An ingenious way for controlled release kinetics of Amphotericin-B loaded gelatin nanofibers

Amphotericin B (AmB) is one of the potent antimycotic drugs used to cure invasive fungal infections and Leishmaniasis. However, it’s appalling collateral toxicity restricts its applicability for only parenteral administration with frequent dosing. Further, AmB is amphipathic and exhibits negligible absorption during oral administration due to its poor solubility. Current research unfolds the possibility to deliver AmB in a controlled way through oral route. First, homogeneous solution of gelatin-AmB was successfully electrospun into the nanofibers followed by crosslinking and compression to form compressed nanofibrous oral tablet (CNOT) containing 20 mg AmB in a 500 mg tablet. In-vitro biodegradation and thermal stability were investigated followed by studying the drug release kinetics. Antifungal activity was also examined up to seven days. AmB loaded CNOT showed zero order release profile with prominent antifungal activity up to seven days against Candida albicans. This study paves the way for a safe, yet effective oral administration of AmB while still maintaining the therapeutic efficacy for treating life-threatening fungal infections.