Preparation of Fast-Dissolving Ursolic Acid Nanofiber Membrances Using Electrospinning

A composite nanofiber mat composed of a filament-forming polymer matrix and a traditional Chinese medicine Ursolic Acid (UA) has been successfully prepared using electro-spinning process in the present study. Poly-vinyl-pyrrolidone K30 (PVP) was used as hydrophilic carrier to fabricate the nanofibers and improve the dissolution property of UA. The morphologies of the resultant nanofibers were evaluated using Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The results demonstrated that the composite mat with a UA: PVP weight ratio of 1:4 had smooth surface, small diameter and structural uniformity. The in vitro dissolution tests indicated that electrospun nanofibers exhibited the fastest release profiles compared to those of pure UA and UA-PVP physical mixtures. Electrospun nanofibers have the potential to be developed as fast-dissolving drug delivery systems for Traditional Chinese Medicine.