Drug release from biodegradable silica fibers

Sol-gel derived biodegradable SiO2 gel fibers have been prepared and characterized by Raman spectroscopy, SEM, Si-29 MAS NMR and TG=MS, respectively. An active component, dexmedetomidine hydrochloride, was incorporated in situ into the fiber structure, by adding it to the sol used for fiber spinning. The subsequent release of the active component was studied in vitro and shown to be determined by differences in the fiber structure, for which clear but indirect evidence was obtained from the different characterization methods used. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.