some embodiments of the invention provide a totally biodegradable hydrophilic nonwoven microfiber absorbents , impermeable to microbes , with variable degradation times and controlled vapor penetration for use in dressing , dressing compositions , drug carrier compositions , wound packing , wound dressings , burn dressings , including first aid dressings , drug delivery dressings , cosmetic mask dressings , cosmetic wrap dressings , cavity dressings for both internal and external applications . cosmetic applications include skin rejuvenation and wrinkle removal . the absorbent of the invention includes a two - component blend . one component is a synthetic biodegradable polyester with different times of biodegradation selected from a group including , but not limited to , homopolymers or copolymers of l (−), d (+), d , l - lactide with glycolide , or caprolactone , or p - dioxanon , and / or mixtures thereof , or homopolymers or copolymers of caprolactone with l (−), or d (+), or d , l - lactide , or glycolide , or p - dioxanon and / or mixtures thereof , and copolymers of l (−), or d (+), or d , l - lactide , or caprolactone , or p - dioxanon with polyoxyethylene glycols ( peg ) and / or mixtures thereof , or homopolymers or copolymers of p - dioxanon . the other component is a poly ( n - vinyl ) lactam selected from a group including , but not limited to , homopolymers , copolymers of n - vinyl lactams such as n - vinylpyrrolidone , n - vinylbutyrolactam , n - vinylcaprolactam , and the like , as well as the foregoing prepared with minor amounts , for example , up to about 15 - 20 weight percent , of one or more of other vinyl monomers copolymerizable with the n - vinyl lactams such as acrylic acid , acryl amides or hydroxyalkylacrylates . of the poly ( n - vinyl ) lactam homopolymers , the poly ( n - vinyl ) pyrrolidone ( pvp ) homopolymers are preferred . a variety of poly ( n - vinyl ) pyrrolidones are commercially available . to prepare a material with controlled biodegradation times , the ratio of polyester / poly ( n - vinyl ) lactam is used in the range from about 99 / 1 to about 1 / 99 , preferably from about 98 / 2 to about 50 / 50 w / w for polylactide , or co ( poly - lactide - glycolide ) with a lactide / glycolide ratio from about 99 / 1 to about 50 / 50 . preferably , the poly ( n - vinyl ) pyrrolidone is used . preferably , the molecular weights of the two components are in the range from 3 × 10 4 to 50 × 10 4 dalton for polyester and from 0 . 5 × 10 4 to 4 × 10 4 dalton for poly ( n - vinyl ) pyrrolidone . the biodegradable polyester component may contain caprolactone homopolymers and / or caprolactone copolymers with lactide ( or glycolide ) with a caprolactone / lactide ( or glycolide ) ratio from about 1 / 90 to about 99 / 1 w / w and with the molecular weights at least 15 × 10 4 dalton for the polyester component and the polyester / poly ( n - vinyl ) pyrrolidone ratio from about 90 / 10 to about 50 / 50 w / w . the biodegradable polyester component may contain copolymers of glycolide ( or lactide ) and p - dioxanon with a glycolide ( or lactide )/ p - dioxanon ratio from about 50 / 50 to about 1 / 99 w / w . for biodegradation time control , a low molecular weight polylactide or its copolymers with glycolide may be included into the blend in the amount of at least 5 - 10 % w . the lactide / glycolide ratio is preferably 50 / 50 w / w . the molecular weights of these compounds are at least from 2 × 10 3 to 10 × 10 3 dalton . various low molecular weight or polymeric linear or branched alcohols such as mannitol , sorbitol , etc . or polyoxyethylene glycols ( peg ) of different molecular weights , respectively , may be included into the blend in the amount of at least 5 - 10 % w . the totally biodegradable , hydrophilic unwoven absorbent consists of microfibers at most 0 . 1 - 5 μm is irreversible with non - leachable poly ( n - vinyl ) lactam . the material is capable of unswelling absorption at least 20 w / w in water or blood and / or other biological liquids with high absorption rates without changing the contour or shape of the device . the material is capable of delivering medicaments externally or internally to the body exactly where desired . the material of the present invention has by itself unexpected properties such as a haemostatic property and antiseptics property . the material enhances the healing of wounds , especially chronic wounds ( e . g ., diabetic wounds ) and ulcers and may be applied without any additional medications . the material and its degradation products are biocompatible and don &# 39 ; t induce any tissues immune response . the products based on the materials of the present invention have a good mechanical strength and preserve their shape under wet conditions . they can be sterilized by x - ray radiation . other advantages obtained in some embodiments include softness and compliance with skin surfaces , and self - adhesion to the wet skin but with easy peelability and a variable “ breathability ”. to obtain a totally biodegradable , hydrophilic unwoven absorbent , the electrohydrodynamic method for solution spinning can be applied . the method involves spraying the solution of a polymer blend through a capillary nozzle onto a substrate . more particularly , the method consists in providing a stream of compressed air or some other gas through a capillary nozzle , and continuously introducing into the air stream a solution of a blend of a biodegradable polyester and poly ( n - vinyl ) pyrrolidone or other poly ( n - vinyl ) lactams in a solvent ( e . g dichloromethane or mixture of ethyl acetate and a lower alcohol . an exemplary concentration of the polymer in the solution is 1 - 40 % w . the voltage between the nozzle and the substrate can be 20 - 120 kv , preferably 20 - 40 kv . the negative pole is set at the metal capillary of the nozzle . the substrate is grounded . the gap between the nozzle and the substrate is 15 - 40 cm . depending on the voltage , gap value and polymer in the solution concentration , materials of a controlled density and microfiber diameters from 0 . 1 - 5 . mu . m can be prepared . after the completion of the process the microfiber unwoven material is removed from the substrate , cut into pieces ( for example , squares ) and vacuum dried . a finished product is packed and sterilized by . gamma .- radiation by conventional techniques . the substrate can be either a static surface or a rotating drum as described in russian patent ru 2121036 ( 20 oct . 1998 ). fig1 shows a schematic representation of a basic part of an apparatus of electrohydrodynamic spinning which was used for biodegradable absorbent of the invention preparation . the device contains housing 1 , container 2 for polymer blend solution used for spinning , power source 3 connected to metal capillary electrode by one pole with the second pole setting grounded , compressor 4 connected with the container 2 . the solution of a blend of a biodegradable polymer and poly ( n - vinyl ) lactam in a solvent is providing by a stream of compressed air from compressor 4 through a capillary nozzle with high voltage imposed from the source 3 . a polymer solution jet flowing out of the capillary nozzle in the stream of compressed air under the action of electrostatic field forces is drawing off into at least one ultra thin fiber that is deposited on a grounded substrate surface that can be a rotating drum 5 or non - moving substrate . for apparatus productivity increase the device can be supplied with an additional compressed air source 13 comprising a ring channel 15 surrounding a capillary electrode 10 ( fig2 ). materials with a different degree of “ breathability ” can be obtained through : 1 ) selection of the microfiber thickness and packing density ; 2 ) electrohydrodynamic microfiber deposition on at least 5 - 10 . mu . m thick polymeric films of the appropriate breathability . these films can be prepared from biodegradable polymers and copolymers like polylactide , or poly ( lactide - co - glycolide ) with a lactide / glycolide ratio from about 1 / 99 to about 99 / 1 , or poly ( lactide - co - caprolactone ) with a lactide / caprolactone ratio from about 1 / 99 to about 99 / 1 , polycaprolactone , poly - p - dioxanon or its copolymers with glycolide or lactide with a p - dioxanon / lactide or glycolide ratio from about 1 / 99 to about 99 / 1 . these biodegradable films , which serve as backing films in such dressings , may be prepared by any conventional methods of polymer processing from either a polymer melt or a polymer solution . a backing film with variable vapor permeability ( i . e . breathability ) can also be prepared from a mixture of biodegradable polyesters listed above and other biocompatible polymers of various molecular weights like polyoxyethylene glycols in the amount of at least 15 % w . the backing film may also improve the mechanical properties of the dressings . the “ breathability ” can also be increased by increasing the gap between the nozzle and the substrate if the electrohydrodynamic method is used . the “ breathability ” is believed to decrease if a higher voltage is used between the nozzle and the substrate . these techniques ( gap size and voltage ) can be used with or without the backing film . more particularly , in some embodiments , no backing film is present . the absorbent material is formed by the electrohydrodynamic method on a substrate as described above . the substrate can be a rotating drum . after this electrohydrodynamic deposition , the absorbent article is removed from the substrate . the article can be used without any backing film . non - drum substrates including non - moving substrates , can be used . the absorbent of the invention may also include at least one additional ingredient , which may be releasable from the absorbent . preferably , the releasable ingredients are bioeffecting or body - treating substances including different low molecular weight or polymeric drugs for internal or external delivery to the body exactly where desired . particularly preferred as biologically - active additives are also antimicrobials such as tetracycline , neomycin , oxytetracycline , triclosan , sodium cefazolin , silver sulfadiazine , and also salicylates such as methylsalicylate and salicylic acid , nicotinates such as methyl nicotinate ; capsaicin , benzocaine , alpha - hydroxy acids , vitamins and biostats and others , or antioncology active drugs like doxorubicin , and others or insulin , or interferon , or others . when the material is used for wound and burn healing acceleration , it may contain living human cells like keratinocytes or fibroblasts previously grown on the material as on the solid porous scaffold . to provide a prolonged and controlled drug release to the surface of internal and / or external wounds or burns , the material may contain two or more microfiber layers . different layers may have different compositions . each layer includes the biodegradable polymer with or without poly ( n - vinyl ) lactam . different layers may also have different ratios of biodegradable polymer / poly ( n - vinyl ) lactam or different biodegradable polymers . different types of polymers and / or copolymers may be used that may have different molecular weights , contain different biocompatible functional groups such as hydroxyl , carboxyl and / or amino groups or contain different additives such as low or high molecular weight alcohols like sorbitol , mannitol , starch , polyoxyethylene glycols , etc . each layer may include at least one additional bioactive ingredient which may be releasable from the absorbent and which may be immobilized into polymeric matrix as by the electrohydrodynamic method as by conventional methods such as wetting of the material by drug solution . when the electrohydrodynamic method is used for drug immobilization into an absorbent , the drug can be dissolved in a polymeric blend solution and immobilized using the device shown in fig1 or can be immobilized as dry fine particles by compressed air steam using the modified device shown in fig2 . for drug delivery systems , the material of the present invention may contain drugs immobilized by the electrohydrodynamics or other methods and then ground into fine particles of a size less than 10 . mu . m . these particles can be used for parenteral drug administration as a suspension in water , or for oral delivery after tableting the particles prepared by conventional compression methods . tablets for oral drug delivery may also be prepared by conventional methods of tablet compression of the non - ground material with immobilized drugs . for drug carrier usage , the material may be prepared for example from the blend of polylactide and poly ( n - vinyl ) pyrrolidone , and polylactide molecular weights are at least 5 × 10 4 dalton . the following examples are intended to illustrate but not limit the invention . the claim will serve to define the invention . in the following examples the preparation of biodegradable absorbents is described , which absorbents can be used as wound and burn dressings , drug carriers and for cosmetic applications . these examples should not be viewed as limiting the scope of the invention . the claims will serve to define the invention . a biodegradable absorbent utilizing microfibres containing poly ( lactide - co - glycolide and / or poly -( n - vinyl ) pyrrolidone with variable “ breathing ” capabilities . poly ( d . l - lactide - co - glycolide ) with a lactide / glycolide ratio 70 / 30 w / w and with an average molecular weight of 150000 dal and poly - d . l - lactide with an average molecular weight of 230000 dal was synthesized by conventional ring - opening polymerization from d . l - lactide and glycolide that were purchased from russian national institute of monomers ( tula , russia ). poly -( n - vinyl ) pyrrolidone with an average molecular weight of 30000 dal was purchased from a russian enterprise . poly ( d . l - lactide - co - glycolide ) ( plga ) was dissolved in ethyl acetate to make a 20 % ( w / w ) solution with solution viscosity 1 - 2 poise ( solution a ) or a 10 % ( w / w ) solution with solution viscosity 0 . 5 poise ( solution b ). poly -( n - vinyl ) pyrrolidone ( pvp ) was dissolved in ethanol making a 20 % ( w / w ) solution and mixed with the plga solution in ethyl acetate at pvp / plga ratio of 20 / 80 ( w / w ) that was used for the electrohydrodynamic spinning . the plga / pvp solution was filtered to remove mechanical and gel - like impurities and was placed into a container 2 ( fig1 ) and spun into wound dressing materials in the form of microfiber mats , which were collected on the surface of a rotating drum 5 or on a film positioned on the surface of a rotating drum 5 that is used as a substrate . after the completion of the process , the microfiber unwoven material was cut into squares and vacuum dried to remove the solvent residue . the finished product was packed into a polyethylene laminated aluminum foil and sterilized by 2 . 5 mrad . gamma .- radiation using a conventional procedure . to measure the degree of absorbency , 2 cm 2 strips ( 0 . 5 × 4 cm ) of the microfiber mat were cut and weighed ( dry weight or dw ), the end of the narrow side ( 0 . 5 cm side ) of the strip was immersed in water or blood and soaked for 10 - 15 min . the liquid was drained and the strip was weighed ( wet weight or ww ). the content of water or blood absorbed by the material calculated using the equation : data on biodegradation times and haemostatic abilities of the material were obtained from in vivo experiments . solution a : ( pvp / plga in ethyl acetate , 20 % plga ) was spun by the electrohydrodynamic method with 30 kv at 25 cm gap distance l ( fig1 ) for 1 hour . the microfiber thickness was around 1 . 5 - 2 μm with a surface density ( a coating level ) ˜ 5 mg / cm 2 . solution b : ( pvp / plga in ethyl acetate , 10 % plga ) was spun by the electrohydrodynamic method with 30 kv at 25 cm gap distance l ( fig1 ) for 1 hour . the microfiber thickness was around 0 . 5 - 1 μm with a surface density ( a coating level ) ˜ 2 . 5 mg / cm 2 . solution a : ( pvp / plga in ethyl acetate , 20 % plga ) was spun by the electrohydrodynamic method with 40 kv at 25 cm gap distance l ( fig1 ) for 1 hour . the microfiber thickness was around 1 - 1 . 5 μm with a surface density ( a coating level ) ˜ 5 mg / cm 2 . solution a : ( pvp / plga in ethyl acetate , 20 % plga ) was spun the electrohydrodynamic method with 30 kv at 40 cm gap distance l ( fig1 ) for 1 hour . the microfiber thickness was around 1 . 5 - 2 μm with a microfiber surface density ( a coating level ) ˜ 3 mg / cm 2 . solution a : ( pvp / plga in ethyl acetate , 20 % plga ) was spun by the electrohydrodynamic method with 30 kv at 25 cm gap distance l ( fig1 ). drum 5 was covered by a poly ( d . l - lactide ) film ( backing film ) having a thickness of 8 - 10 μm . the film was formed from 10 % w solution of poly - d . l - lactide in methylene chloride . the microfibers were deposited on the film . the fiber size was around 1 . 5 - 2 μm with a microfiber surface density ( a coating level ) ˜ 5 mg / cm 2 . test results for the materials in samples 1 - 5 are summarized in table 1 . silver sulfadiazine was dissolved under slight heating in ethanol to form a 5 % solution and then added to the plga / pvp solution described above to yield a 1 % silver sulfadiazine concentration in the final material . the solution was spun by the electrohydrodynamic method with 30 kv at 25 cm gap distance l ( fig1 ) for 1 hour . the microfiber thickness was around 1 . 5 - 2 μm with a surface density ( a coating level ) ˜ 5 mg / cm 2 . silver sulfadiazine in the form of fine particles was placed into container 12 ( fig2 ) and immobilized using a compressed air stream (˜ 0 . 5 atm ) onto the surface of a just prepared absorbent deposited on a surface of a rotating drum using 30 kv at a gap distance 25 cm . the invention is not limited by the embodiments described above , for example , in the eletrohydrodynamic method , an altering electric field can be used . also , solutions can be replaced by melts . other embodiments are within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .
a biodegradable microfiber absorbent comprises a substantially homogeneous mixture of at least one hydrophilic polymer and at least one biodegradable polymer . the absorbent can be prepared by an electro hydrodynamic spinning of a substantially homogeneous polymer mixture . medical dressings for burns and wounds , cavity dressings , drug delivery patches , face masks , implants , drug carriers that comprises at least one microfiber electrospun from a polymer mixture are provided . the dressings can have variable water vapor penetration characteristics and variable biodegradation times .