Ciprofloxacin-loaded electrosprayed lactose particles

Bacterial infections persist as a major global health challenge, underscoring the need for the development of advanced drug delivery systems. This study firstly explored the use of electrospraying to generate lactose microparticles loaded with ciprofloxacin (cipro), using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as an additive to enhance particle formation. Following optimization, spherical electrosprayed (ES) lactose microparticles were successfully produced with various cipro loadings (in the range of 0.25 %-1.07 % w/w). The electrosprayed particles did not contain any detectable crystalline material. Additionally, it was observed that the ES particles contained residual water, primarily originating from the production process. In terms of drug release, the ES particles exhibited rapid release kinetics within 5 h, suggesting their potential utility in treating acute bacterial infections. Notably, the formulations displayed concentration-dependent antibacterial activity against both Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, effectively delaying and inhibiting bacterial growth.