Structured Biodegradable Polymeric Microparticles for Drug Delivery Produced Using Flow Focusing Glass Microfluidic...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Science
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Biodegradable polymers like poly(DL-lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) are crucial for drug delivery systems.
• Controlling microparticle characteristics is essential for optimizing drug release profiles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To produce tunable biodegradable microparticles using counter-current flow focusing.
• To investigate the effect of nanofillers and porogens on particle microstructure and drug release.
• To create Janus particles for advanced applications.

Main Methods:

• Counter-current flow focusing in axisymmetric glass capillary devices for microparticle fabrication.
• Modification of particle microstructure using montmorillonite nanoclay or 2-methylpentane.
• Solvent evaporation-induced phase separation for Janus particle synthesis.
• Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) for particle characterization.

Main Results:

• Uniform microparticles (4-30 μm) were produced with tunable size and morphology.
• Nanoclay incorporation reduced paracetamol release rate and prevented burst release.
• Porous particles with dimpled surfaces were fabricated using porogens.
• Janus PLA/PCL particles were successfully synthesized and characterized.

Conclusions:

• Counter-current flow focusing is an effective method for producing tunable biodegradable microparticles.
• Nanoclay addition offers a strategy to control drug diffusion and release kinetics.
• The developed methods enable the fabrication of advanced microparticle systems for drug delivery.