Controlled pulmonary drug delivery systems employing non-spherical particles as drug carriers attract considerable attention nowadays. Such anisotropic morphologies may travel deeper into the lung airways, thus enabling the efficient accumulation of therapeutic compounds at the point of interest and subsequently their sustained release. This study focuses on the fabrication of electrospun superparamagnetic polymer-based biodegradable microrods consisting of poly(l-lactide) (PLLA), polyethylene oxide (PEO) and oleic acid-coated magnetite nanoparticles (OA·Fe3O4). The production of magnetite-free (0% wt. OA·Fe3O4) and magnetite-loaded (50% and 70% wt. Fe3O4) microrods was realized upon subjecting the as-prepared electrospun fibers to UV irradiation, followed by sonication. Moreover, drug-loaded microrods were fabricated incorporating methyl 4-hydroxybenzoate (MHB) as a model pharmaceutical compound and the drug release profile from both, the drug-loaded membranes and the corresponding microrods was investigated in aqueous media. In addition, the magnetic properties of the produced materials were exploited for remote induction of hyperthermia under AC magnetic field, while the possibility to reduce transport losses and enhance the targeted delivery to lower airways by manipulation of the airborne microrods by DC magnetic field was also demonstrated.

Brno University of Technology Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Energy Institute Technicka 2896 2 Brno 616 00 Czech Republic

Department of Materials Science University of Patras 26504 Rio Patras Greece

Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials CATRIN Palacký University Olomouc Czech Republic; Nanotechnology Centre CEET VŠB Technical University of Ostrava 17 listopadu 2172 15 708 00 Ostrava Poruba Czech Republic

Romanian Academy Timisoara Branch Center for Fundamental and Advanced Technical Research Laboratory of Magnetic Fluids Mihai Viteazul Ave 24 300223 Timisoara Romania

University of Cyprus Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering 75 Kallipoleos Avenue P O Box 20537 1678 Nicosia Cyprus

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