Incorporation and release of vancomycin from poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) microspheres

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Drug Delivery Systems
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Development of effective drug delivery systems for antibiotics like vancomycin is crucial for combating infections.
• Microsphere technology offers potential for controlled and sustained drug release.
• Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) is a widely used biodegradable polymer for drug encapsulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate spherical monolithic microspheres with a honeycomb internal architecture using PLGA.
• To incorporate vancomycin into these microspheres at various loading percentages.
• To characterize the vancomycin encapsulation efficiency and in vitro release profiles.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of microspheres using a water-in-oil (W/O) emulsification with solvent evaporation technique.
• Characterization of vancomycin incorporation using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC).
• Analysis of microsphere size distribution and in vitro drug release in Hank's buffer and newborn calf serum.

Main Results:

• High yield (80 wt%) of microspheres with a size distribution of 5-50 microns was achieved.
• High vancomycin encapsulation efficiency (> 64%) was obtained, with no significant impact on microsphere size.
• Drug release profiles exhibited an initial burst release followed by sustained release up to 30 days, influenced by polymer composition, vancomycin loading, and medium.

Conclusions:

• Honeycomb-structured PLGA microspheres are effective carriers for vancomycin.
• The drug release kinetics can be modulated by varying fabrication parameters and vancomycin loading.
• These microspheres demonstrate potential for sustained antibiotic delivery applications.