Development and Optimization of Electrospun Poly(vinyl alcohol) Nanofibers for Vaginal Drug Delivery Using Design of Experiments Approach

Objectives: Vaginal nanofibers with high surface area and tunable porosity are a promising platform for vaginal administration. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is a widely used polymer in the pharmaceutical field due to its hydrophilic, biodegradable, non-toxic, and mucoadhesive properties. This study aimed to optimize PVA-based electrospun nanofibers for vaginal drug delivery by evaluating polymer concentration, solvent system, and collector rotation speed using a design of experiments-based approach. Materials and Methods: PVA was dissolved in distilled water (DW) at 90 °C to prepare polymer solutions; then N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) or ethanol was added. The surface tension, viscosity, and conductivity of the polymer solutions were evaluated. For the production of nanofibers via electrospinning, the parameters selected were PVA concentrations of 7.5% and 15%, collector rotation speed of 100 and 1000 rpm, and two solvent systems (DMF: DW and ethanol: DW). Mechanical and mucoadhesive properties of nanofibers were evaluated using a texture analyzer. Results: mucoadhesion studies revealed that collector rotation speed influenced the work of adhesion, with the highest mucoadhesion observed for the R3 formulation produced at 1000 rpm. Conclusion: The solvent system and collector rotation speed were found to influence the morphological structure of the fibers. R3 (7.5% PVA, ethanol/DW, 1000 rpm) formulation was found to be more suitable than other formulations based on its mechanical and mucoadhesive properties. It was concluded that in the production of PVA nanofibers, the rotating speed of the collector, the polymer concentration, and the solvent system directly affect the mechanical and mucoadhesive properties of the nanofibers.