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Microfluidic Fabrication of Core-Shell Microcapsules carrying Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Spheroids

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Layer-by-layer microcapsules templated on erythrocyte ghost carriers.

Mutukumaraswamy Shaillender¹, Rongcong Luo, Subbu S Venkatraman

¹School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, Singapore.

International Journal of Pharmaceutics

|June 25, 2011

Summary

Researchers developed novel layer-by-layer (LbL) microcapsules using red blood cell (RBC) ghosts for controlled release of bioactive agents. Adjusting the number of polyelectrolyte layers precisely regulates drug release profiles.

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Published on: April 11, 2017

Area of Science:

Biomaterials Engineering
Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

Conventional layer-by-layer (LbL) microcapsules often require core dissolution and post-loading, complicating bioactive agent encapsulation.
Red blood cell (RBC) ghosts offer a biocompatible and biodegradable core for microcapsule fabrication.

Purpose of the Study:

To fabricate and characterize novel LbL microcapsules using RBC ghosts for controlled release of bioactive agents.
To investigate the influence of polyelectrolyte layer number on release kinetics and RBC ghost stability.

Main Methods:

Fabrication of LbL microcapsules by coating RBC ghosts loaded with model compounds (dextran, lysozyme) with poly-L-arginine hydrochloride and dextran sulfate.
Hypotonic dialysis was used for initial loading of RBC ghosts.
Release profiles were analyzed by varying the number of polyelectrolyte layers.

Main Results:

Encapsulation efficiency of 27-31% was achieved for model compounds within RBC ghosts.
LbL coating maintained RBC ghost integrity and uniform agent distribution.
Release rates were successfully modulated by adjusting the number of polyelectrolyte layers.

Conclusions:

The developed RBC ghost-based LbL microcapsules offer a simplified approach for encapsulating bioactive agents, avoiding core dissolution.
The LbL shell enhances stability and protects encapsulated agents, potentially preserving bioactivity.
This method provides tunable control over drug release for diverse therapeutic applications.