Drug Release Characterization of Solution Blow Spun Poly(D,L-lactide-co-caprolactone)-Polyethylene Glycol Fibers for Abdominal Adhesion Barrier Applications

Abstract

Abdominal adhesions are vascularized fibrous bands that form between the abdominal wall and intra-abdominal organs after surgery and affect 60-95% of patients. They are associated with complications including bowel obstruction, chronic pelvic pain, and secondary infertility. Although Seprafilm is a widely used clinical prophylactic, it lacks the mechanical strength and stability required to function as a barrier throughout the wound-healing period. Solution blow spinning (SBS) offers an alternative route to barrier formation by generating polymer fibers that can conform to complex geometries while maintaining strong tissue adherence. Recent work has shown that SBS barriers based on poly(D,L-lactide-co-caprolactone) (PLCL) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) can reduce adhesions in vivo, establishing this platform as a clinically motivated foundation for multifunctional adhesion prevention. The goal of this study was to determine whether that barrier platform can be converted from a passive physical separator into a drug-releasing scaffold capable of addressing both the mechanical and biochemical components of adhesion formation. To address that question, formulations spanning multiple PLCL:PEG ratios and PLCL molecular weights were loaded with drug and evaluated for release behavior. In parallel, three model drugs spanning a range of hydrophilicity and molecular weight were used to test how drug properties interact with matrix composition. Sustained release ranged from hours to weeks depending on the selected formulation and therapeutic, demonstrating that these scaffolds can access a broad design space for localized drug delivery. Spray morphology also varied strongly with PEG and drug content, and transitions from discrete fibers to more film-like structures correlated with more rapid release. Non-burst formulations were characterized using Korsmeyer-Peppas, Peppas-Sahlin, and Weibull models to frame the dominant release behavior. Together, sustained drug delivery from the fibers and barrier-mediated inhibition of fibrinogenic transport support the clinical significance of a single spray-deposited material that could both separate injured tissues and modulate the early inflammatory and fibrotic microenvironment.