Fundamental and Application of Electrospinning Technology in Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics

Electrospinning is a technique for fabricating nanofibers to microfibers from polymer solutions or molten polymers. An electrospinning apparatus consists of four main parts, which are high voltage supplier, syringe pump, solution reservoir and collector. Three major factors including solution factors, apparatus factors and environmental factors need to be concerned during the electrospinning because these factors affect fiber formation and morphology of the fibers. Recently, the applications of the electrospinning technology have extended to various areas such as filtrating membranes, nano-sensors, bullet-proof clothing, tissue engineering, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. In pharmaceutical, the electrospinning is used to prepare various types of formulations, for example, oral films, transdermal patches and wound healing scaffolds. The drug released profile of these formulations can be modified depend on polymers which are fibrous matrices. In cosmetics, the electrospinning is used to produce facial masks or cosmetic patches, which contain active compounds for skin treatment. Additionally, electrospun fibers can enhance a stability of herbal extracts. Furthermore, the production of the electrospun fibers can scale up to industrial manufacturing by using the free surface electrospinning technology. Therefore, the electrospinning technology is an innovative platform for pharmaceutical and cosmetic area, and electrospun fibers will be a novel commercial dosage form in the near future.