In vitro degradation and drug‐release behavior of electrospun,fibrous webs of poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid)

Ultrafine fibrous webs of poly(lactide‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA) containing the bactericidal antibiotic drug rifampin were prepared by electrospinning, and their properties were investigated for wound‐dressing applications. Because PLGA is a biodegradable and biocompatible polymer, it is one of the best materials for the preparation of wound‐dressing substrates. Through this investigation of PLGA/rifampin electrospun webs, we found that the in vitro degradation reached approximately 60% in 10 days, and the drug release from the webs showed a fast and constant profile suitable for wound‐dressing applications. Also, we observed that both the web‐degradation rate and the drug‐release rate increased as the drug concentration in the PLGA/rifampin electrospun webs and the content level of glycolide units in the PLGA polymer matrix increased. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012