Functional reservoir microcapsules generated via microfluidic fabrication for long-term cardiovascular therapeutics

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science and Regenerative Medicine
• Cardiovascular Disease Therapeutics
• Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

• Cardiovascular diseases necessitate long-term management due to impaired cardiac function.
• Conventional hydrogels face challenges in balancing hydrogel size with drug loading capacity.
• A need exists for advanced delivery systems enabling sustained release of therapeutic agents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate biocompatible reservoir microcapsules for efficient, long-term drug delivery.
• To evaluate the efficacy of sustained dual-drug (VEGF and PDGF) delivery for cardiovascular regeneration.
• To demonstrate the potential of microcapsules for treating chronic diseases and in regenerative medicine.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of reservoir microcapsules (∼100 μm diameter) using microfluidics and phase separation of PEGDA and dextran.
• High drug-loading efficiency (∼80%) achieved for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF).
• In vitro assessment of cell proliferation and tube formation (HUVEC, SMC); in vivo evaluation in a rat myocardial infarction model.

Main Results:

• Microcapsules enabled sustained release of VEGF and PDGF for 30 days.
• In vitro studies showed enhanced endothelial and smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration (∼1.7 times increase).
• In vivo studies demonstrated significant reduction in heart tissue scarring (11.2% vs. 21.4% in saline control) and improved cardiac function.

Conclusions:

• Reservoir microcapsules offer a promising platform for high-efficiency, long-term delivery of therapeutic proteins.
• Sustained dual-drug delivery effectively promotes in vivo blood vessel regeneration and cardiac repair.
• This technology is applicable for treating chronic diseases and advancing regenerative medicine strategies.