Microfluidic Synthesis and Angiogenic Activity of Ginsenoside Rg₁-Loaded PPF Microspheres

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Drug Delivery

Background:

• Hard tissue engineering demands advanced drug-loaded polymer scaffolds for enhanced osteogenesis and controlled release kinetics.
• Ginsenoside Rg1, a pro-angiogenic mediator, shows potential for facilitating bone cell growth.

Purpose of the Study:

• To encapsulate ginsenoside Rg1 into poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF) microspheres for bone tissue engineering.
• To investigate the release mechanism of ginsenoside Rg1 from PPF microspheres using X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy (XANES).

Main Methods:

• Ginsenoside Rg1-loaded PPF microspheres were fabricated using emulsion and microfluidic methods.
• Microfluidic device yielded tunable unimodal microspheres (3-52 μm) by adjusting flow rates.
• Characterization included FTIR, XRD, XANES, UV-Vis spectrophotometry, and kinetic analysis.

Main Results:

• Microfluidic approach achieved high ginsenoside Rg1 encapsulation efficiency (95.4 ± 0.8%).
• Monodisperse PPF microspheres exhibited slower Rg1 release with reduced burst effect compared to polydisperse spheres.
• Release kinetics followed Fickian diffusion, and released Rg1 retained angiogenic effects in vitro.

Conclusions:

• Poly(propylene fumarate) microspheres are effective vehicles for long-term controlled delivery of ginsenoside Rg1.
• This approach supports therapeutic angiogenesis and osteogenesis in bone tissue engineering strategies.
• Microfluidic fabrication offers precise control over microsphere properties for optimized drug delivery.