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Updated: Feb 15, 2026

Generation of Alginate Microspheres for Biomedical Applications
Published on: August 12, 2012
Electromagnetic manipulation enabled calcium alginate Janus microsphere for targeted delivery of mesenchymal stem
Reju George Thomas1, Afeesh Rajan Unnithan2, Myeong Ju Moon1
1Department of Radiology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital, Hwasun 58128, Biomolecular Theranostics (BiT) Lab, South Korea.
Abstract:
We prepared Janus microspheres based on sodium alginate for the encapsulation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in one compartment and iron oxide nanoparticles (IONP) or a drug in the second compartment. 4% percent sodium alginate solution was allowed to pass through a septum-theta capillary device and react with 2.5% calcium chloride to allow crosslinking to occur in the solution, forming calcium alginate Janus microspheres. Physico-chemical characterization of microspheres was done by FTIR, TGA, and XRD after loading of stem cells and IONP/drug. The mechanical integrity of microspheres was tested at different time points, which showed that 4% alginate microspheres were mechanically stable for a long period of time. Live/dead staining of MSCs alone and the MTS assay of MSCs and DMSO co-loaded were performed, which showed less toxicity to MSC in the Janus configuration. IONP/MSC-loaded Janus microspheres were tested by magnetic manipulation for targeted MSC delivery for cartilage repair using an electromagnetic manipulation (EMM) device. Janus microspheres can be used for targeted stem cell/drug delivery using EMM for cartilage repair in the near future.
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