# Additive Manufacturing of Shape-Changing Printlets via Powder-Based Extrusion 3D Printing of Natural Cellulose and Polyvinyl Alcohol

## TL;DR

This study explores using agricultural waste cellulose in 3D printing to create shape-changing drug delivery systems for levodopa, offering a sustainable and efficient method.

## Contribution

The integration of agricultural waste-derived cellulose fibers with levodopa processing in PME systems is novel and advances sustainable drug delivery.

## Key findings

- Cellulose powders and short fibers from agricultural waste enabled successful printing of shape-changing levodopa printlets.
- Cassava short fiber improved printability, shape recovery, and amorphous solid dispersion formation due to reduced crystallinity.
- Levodopa-loaded printlets with 5% cassava short fiber showed the fastest drug release via Super Case II transport.

## Abstract

Powder melt extrusion (PME) represents an alternative approach for personalized oral dosage forms. Furthermore, the utilization of agricultural waste has gained increasing attention because it helps reduce pollution from waste. This study investigated cellulose powders and short fibers from agricultural waste as supporting materials for the PME-based production of shape-changing levodopa printlets. Formulations containing cellulose powder (CP), cassava short fiber (CSF), and pineapple short fiber (PSF) demonstrated successful printing. The selected formulations were characterized for morphology, thermal transitions, crystallinity, shape-changing behavior, and drug release. CSF demonstrated superior printability, enhanced shape recovery, and the greatest reduction in crystallinity, supporting amorphous solid dispersion formation. Levodopa-loaded printlets showed uniform and high drug content. The formulation containing 5% CSF and levodopa exhibited the fastest initial release, attributed to its low crystallinity and Super Case II transport mechanism. Overall, this study highlights the feasibility of using natural cellulose as an additive in PME to develop sustainable, shape-changing drug delivery systems and advances PME knowledge by integrating agricultural waste derived cellulose fibers with levodopa processing that provide new insight into the material–process–performance relationship in PME systems.