Furosemide, a chloride channel blocker ordinarily used as a high-ceiling or loop diuretic,\nis practically insoluble in water and dilute acids. Due to its acidic nature, furosemide is mostly\nabsorbed in the stomach and in the upper small intestine. Efforts have focused on the development\nof sustained release systems of furosemide in order to improve the effectiveness of the drug, which\nexhibits poor aqueous solubility and poor permeability. Recently, electrospun nanofibrous drug\ndelivery systems have emerged as promising alternative solid-dosage forms due to their advantages\nof high porosity, high surface to volume ratio, and high drug-loading efficacy. Herein, a number of\nnanofibrous mats composed of different types of Eudragit® polymers in various concentrations and\ncombinations loaded with furosemide were designed, successfully electrospun, and characterized\nusing SEM, FTIR, DSC, and TGA analyses. The nanofibrous nonwovens were formulated in nanofiber\ntablets and the release profile of furosemide from them was evaluated at pH 1.2 and 6.8 and compared\nto that of physical mixture matrix tablets of analogous composition as well as to that of a commercial\nformulation. It was found that the release of furosemide was compatible with the gastroretentive and\nslower intestinal release requirements with a well-defined absorption window, while some nanofiber\nformulations could act as furosemide carriers in emergency situations where a relatively fast onset of\nits action is required, as in the case of critically ill post-traumatic patients.
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