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Utilizing Food Waste in 3D-Printed PLA Formulations to Achieve Sustainable and Customizable Controlled Delivery
Liwen Wang1, Ling Xin Yong1,2, Say Chye Joachim Loo1,3,2
1School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798 Singapore.
ACS Omega
|August 12, 2024
Summary
This study developed 3D-printed gastric floating drug delivery systems (GFDDS) using polylactic acid (PLA) blended with food waste biomass. These sustainable composites offer tunable drug release profiles for various applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Gastric floating drug delivery systems (GFDDS) offer prolonged gastric residence time for improved drug efficacy.
- Conventional GFDDS often rely on synthetic polymers, posing environmental and cost concerns.
- Valorization of food waste biomass presents an opportunity for sustainable material development in drug delivery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the creation of novel 3D-printed GFDDS by blending polylactic acid (PLA) with various food waste biomasses.
- To investigate the impact of biomass type, percentage, and 3D printing parameters on drug release kinetics.
- To assess the potential of these composite GFDDS for controlled release of hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs.
Main Methods:
- Composite filaments were fabricated by blending PLA with brewer's spent grain (BSG), spent coffee grounds (SCG), sesame cake (SC), or thermoplastic starch (TPS).
- 3D printing was employed to manufacture GFDDS capsules with varying compositions and wall thicknesses.
- In vitro drug release studies were conducted using metoprolol tartrate (MT) as a hydrophilic model drug and risperidone (RIS) as a hydrophobic model drug.
Main Results:
- Up to 15% food waste biomass could be successfully incorporated into PLA for GFDDS fabrication.
- PLA-BSG, PLA-SCG, and PLA-SC composites exhibited burst release of MT within 4 hours after a short lag time.
- PLA-food waste composites achieved sustained release of RIS for approximately 48 hours, while PLA-TPS showed variable release (8-120 hours).
Conclusions:
- Blending affordable food waste biomass with PLA enables the development of customizable and cost-effective 3D-printed GFDDS.
- The composition and structure of these biomass-PLA composites significantly influence drug release profiles.
- This approach offers a sustainable pathway for advanced drug delivery systems with potential applications beyond pharmaceuticals.
