Measurements of Spontaneous and External Stimuli Molecular Release Processes from a Single Optically Trapped...

We investigated the single particle kinetics of the molecular release processes from two types of microcapsules used as drug delivery systems (DDS): biodegradable poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) and a light-triggered-degradable liposome encapsulating gold nanospheres (liposome-GNP). To optimize the design of DDS capsules, it is highly desirable to develop a method for real-time monitoring of the release process. Using a combination of optical tweezers and confocal fluorescence microspectroscopy we successfully analyzed a single optically trapped PLGA particle and liposome-GNPs in solution. From temporal decay profiles of the fluorescence intensity, we determined the time constant τ of the release processes. We demonstrated that the release rate of spontaneously degradable microcapsules (PLGA) decreased with increasing size, while conversely, the release rate of external stimuli-degradable microcapsules (liposome-GNPs) increased in proportion to their size. This result is explained by the differences in the disruption mechanisms of the capsules, with PLGA undergoing hydrolysis and the GNPs in the liposome-GNP undergoing a photoacoustic effect under nanosecond pulsed laser irradiation. The present approach offers a way forward to an alternative microanalysis system for single drug delivery nanocarriers.