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Microfluidic Engineering of Core-Shell PLGA Microspheres with Adjustable Shell Thickness for Long-Acting Delivery of
Jiaze Dou1, Ruoxin Wei1, Xingwei Jin2
1Shanghai Key Laboratory of Multiphase Materials Chemical Engineering, Department of Product Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, No.130 Mei Long Road, Shanghai 200237, China.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|April 20, 2026
Summary
This study developed a microfluidic device to create core-shell microspheres for long-acting drug delivery. Thicker microsphere shells improved drug encapsulation and extended release duration for hydrophilic peptide drugs.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Drug Delivery Systems
- Microfluidics
Background:
- Hydrophilic peptide drugs often require long-acting delivery systems like microspheres for sustained therapeutic effects.
- Precisely controlling microsphere properties to tune drug encapsulation and release remains a significant challenge in drug delivery.
- Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres are widely used for controlled drug release applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate core-shell PLGA microspheres using a microfluidic device for encapsulating hydrophilic peptide drugs.
- To investigate the effect of microsphere shell thickness, controlled by microfluidic flow rates, on drug loading and release kinetics.
- To establish a predictable platform for designing long-acting peptide drug delivery systems.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of core-shell PLGA microspheres using a three-phase glass capillary microfluidic device.
- Tuning microsphere shell thickness by adjusting flow rate ratios (Qm/Qi from 1 to 6).
- Quantification of leuprolide acetate (LA) encapsulation efficiency (EE) and long-term release profiles using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).
Main Results:
- Uniform 80 μm core-shell PLGA microspheres with controllable shell thickness were successfully fabricated.
- Increased shell thickness significantly enhanced LA encapsulation efficiency from 65.48% to 87.66%.
- Thicker shells reduced initial burst release from 59.24% to 23.52% and extended sustained release from ~30 to 70 days.
Conclusions:
- Microfluidic control over shell thickness provides a precise method to modulate drug loading and release characteristics of PLGA microspheres.
- The study elucidates the structure-performance relationship in microfluidic-fabricated core-shell microspheres for long-acting leuprolide acetate delivery.
- This approach offers a rational foundation for developing predictable, long-acting delivery systems for hydrophilic peptide drugs.
