Development of Electrospun Shellac and Hydroxypropyl Cellulose Blended Nanofibers for Drug Carrier Application

The aim of this study was to develop the electrospun shellac (SHL) and hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) blended nanofibers for drug carrier application. The effects of polymer solution and electrospinning parameters, including SHL-HPC ratio, HPC concentration, applied voltage and flow rate, on the appearance of fibers were investigated. Based on the results, electrospun fiber was not obtained when a solution of HPC alone was employed. However, the fibers would be obviously fabricated as SHL was added to the HPC solution. An increase in the SHL ratio in SHL-HPC blended solution could accordingly lead to a remarkable enhance in the fiber diameter. In addition, the continuous nanofibers with less beads were gradually formulated when the HPC concentration was increased. The electrospinning parameters seemed to be significant. The elevation of infusion rate from 0.5 to 1 mL/h would contribute to the preparation of thick fibers with the diameters enlarging from 666.9 to 843.5 nm. With the applied voltage increasing from 15 to 30 kV during the electrospinning process, the fabrication of small nanofibers with the diameters reducing from 843.5 to 741.6 nm would be conducted. In this study, monolaurin (ML), a broad antimicrobial agent, was encapsulated into the SHL-HPC carrier for the purpose of drug delivery application. Regarding the result, the loaded concentration of ML could not be enhanced by introducing HPC to the SHL fibers.