Polysaccharides as Stabilizers for Polymeric Microcarriers Fabrication

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biotechnology
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Biodegradable polymeric microparticles are crucial for drug delivery and cell carriers.
• Traditional fabrication methods often rely on synthetic emulsifiers.
• Developing eco-friendly and biocompatible alternatives is essential for biomedical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate polysaccharides as sustainable alternatives to synthetic surfactants in polylactide microparticle fabrication.
• To investigate the impact of polysaccharide chemical structure and modification on emulsifying abilities.
• To explore the use of polysaccharide nanoparticles in Pickering emulsion solvent evaporation for core/shell microparticle preparation.

Main Methods:

• Utilized various polysaccharides (chitosan, hyaluronic acid, cellulose, arabinogalactan, guar) and their derivatives.
• Employed targeted chemical modification to enhance polysaccharide emulsifying properties.
• Investigated bottom-up or top-down methods for biomacromolecule nanoparticle formation.
• Applied Pickering emulsion solvent evaporation technique for microparticle synthesis.

Main Results:

• Polysaccharides effectively stabilized polylactide microparticles, acting as alternatives to synthetic surfactants.
• Chemical modification of biopolymers enhanced their emulsifying capabilities.
• The study successfully prepared core/shell microparticles using polysaccharide nanoparticles.
• Evaluated the influence of polysaccharide structure and application method on microparticle yield, size, and morphology.

Conclusions:

• Polysaccharides demonstrate significant potential as green chemistry alternatives for microparticle fabrication.
• The use of polysaccharides enhances the biocompatibility of microparticles, crucial for biomedical uses.
• This approach offers a sustainable and effective method for developing advanced drug delivery systems and cell carriers.