Recent developments in nanofiber-based fast-disintegrating drug delivery systems

Introduction

Fast-disintegrating electrospun fibers are emerging as innovative systems for oral drug delivery. These fibers possess a high surface area, porosity, and customizable hydrophilicity, which facilitates quick drug release by disintegrating rapidly in biological fluids or upon contact with water.

Highlights

• Rapidly disintegrating electrospun fibers are predominantly fabricated using hydrophilic polymers and cyclodextrins (CDs) as key components.

• CDs facilitate the solubilization and stabilization of active pharmaceutical ingredients, enabling the production of polymer-free electrospun fibers from drug–CD inclusion complexes.

• The disintegration kinetics of the fibers can be modulated by polymer hydrophilicity.

• These electrospun materials are particularly advantageous for transmucosal drug delivery via sublingual and buccal routes.

• The primary oral application of fast-dissolving fibers lies in miminize first-pass metabolism and rapid onset of action.

Areas covered

Hydrophilic polymers and cyclodextrins (CDs), either separately or in combination, are frequently utilized to accelerate the disintegration of electrospun fibers, enhance the solubility of hydrophobic drugs, and improve drug bioavailability, leading to better therapeutic outcomes. Toward this goal, a systematic literature search was conducted to identify experimental studies (2019–2025) in Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Scopus using the keywords (‘fast-disintegrating’ OR ‘fast-dissolving’) AND (‘electrospinning’ OR ‘electrospun’) AND (‘delivery’ OR ‘release’).