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Preparation of microcapsules containing rare-earth metal elements
S Shimofure1, S Koizumi, K Ichikawa
1Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Gunma University, Kiryu, Japan.
Journal of Microencapsulation
|February 24, 2001
Summary
Researchers developed rare-earth metal microcapsules for internal radiation therapy. Dysprosium-containing microcapsules demonstrated strong radioactivity, suitable for radiotherapy applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Radiochemistry
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Developing targeted internal radiation therapies requires effective delivery vehicles.
- Microencapsulation offers a method for containing and delivering therapeutic agents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize rare-earth metal-loaded microcapsules for internal radiation therapy.
- To evaluate the suitability of these microcapsules for radiotherapy applications.
Main Methods:
- Interfacial polymerization and sedimentation techniques were used for microcapsule synthesis and fractionation.
- High-frequency plasma photoemission spectroscopy quantified metal loading.
- Differential interference microscopy assessed microcapsule size distribution.
Main Results:
- Microcapsules containing Dysprosium (Dy), Holmium (Ho), and Copper (Cu) were successfully synthesized with diameters of 5-10 micrometers.
- Dysprosium-loaded microcapsules exhibited high beta-ray radioactivity (370 microCi/mg) after neutron irradiation, suitable for radiotherapy.
- Fractionated microcapsules showed a narrow size distribution.
Conclusions:
- Rare-earth metal microcapsules can be effectively produced using interfacial polymerization and sedimentation.
- Dysprosium-loaded microcapsules show significant potential as radioactive sources for internal radiotherapy.
- The developed microcapsules possess favorable characteristics for targeted radiation delivery.