Innovative AC Electrospinning and Characterization of Nanofibers Comprised of Polyvinyl Alcohol and Dacarbazine for Solid State Drug Delivery of Cancer Therapeutic

Abstract Dacarbazine (DTIC) is an alkylating chemotherapeutic agent with demonstrated anti-tumor activity but limited utility for intracranial applications due to its chemical instability, short systemic half-life, and inability to cross the blood-brain barrier. Strategies that stabilize DTIC in the solid form for localized delivery therefore are of significant interest due to the material challenges. In this study, nanofibers with various polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-to-dacarbazine ratios ranging from 2.5:1, 5:1, 7.5:1, to 10:1 were developed using alternating-current electrospinning (ACES) at an extremely high production rate. Their structural and physiochemical properties were systematically characterized to assess the feasibility of this approach using different characterization methods such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Additionally, the encapsulation efficiency (EE) and the drug release profile was evaluated using Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). The characterization results show that nanofibers obtained using the ACES approach have good DTIC dispersion in the PVA matrix and the DTIC remains individualistic in the nanofiber. These results collectively demonstrate that ACES enables the incorporation of dacarbazine into PVA nanofibers while preserving favorable fiber morphology and promoting solid-state stabilization. This work shows the novelty in the application of ACES to fabricate dacarbazine-loaded PVA nanofibers with controlled morphology and solid-state drug stabilization. It also establishes a foundational materials platform for localized dacarbazine delivery and providing a basis for future studies focused on drug release behavior, stability, and therapeutic application.