In this work, the microencapsulation of water-soluble drug (doxorubicin, Dox) and imaging agent (perfluorocarbon, PFC) is performed by a novel liquid driven tri-axial flow focusing (LDTFF) device. The formation of stable triple-layered cone-jet mode can be observed in the simple well-assembled LDTFF device, providing an easy approach to fabricate mono-disperse triple-layered microcapsules with high encapsulation efficiency, high throughput and low cost in just one step. The fluorescence images show that the microcapsules have a satisfactory core-shell structure. The SEM micrographs show spherical and smooth surface views of the triple-layered microcapsules after being stirred 72h to remove the organic solvent totally. The results of thermo-responsive release experiments of the produced triple-layered microcapsules show these multifunctional capsules can be well stimulated when the environment temperature is beyond 55 degree centigrade. In a word, this novel approach has a great potential in applications such as drug delivery and image-guided therapy.
Curcumin-loaded PLGA microcapsules are fabricated by a liquid-driving coaxial flow focusing device. In the process, a stable coaxial cone-jet configuration is formed under the action of a coflowing liquid stream and the coaxial liquid jet eventually breaks up into microcapsules because of flow instability. This process can be well controlled by adjusting the flow rates of three phases including the driving PVA water solution, the outer PLGA ethyl acetate solution and the inner curcumin propylene glycol solution. Confocal and SEM imaging methods clearly indicate the core-shell structure of the resultant microcapsules. The encapsulation rate of curcumin in PLGA is measured to be more than 70%, which is much higher than the tranditional methods such as emulsion. The size distribution of resultant microcapsules under different conditions is presented and compared. An in vitro release simulation platform is further developed to verify the feasibility and reliability of the method.
Microcapsules with multiple components inside a biodegradable shell are of great significance in various applications
such as biomedicine, biochemistry, sustained drug delivery and image-guided therapy. Here we report a compoundfluidic
electro-flow focusing (CFEFF) process that has the potential to one-step envelope multiple drugs and imaging
agents separately into a single microcapsule. In this method, a compound needle is assembled by embedding two parallel
thin inner needles into a relatively large outer needle. Two kinds of core fluids flow through the inner needles separately
and the shell fluid flows through the outer needle. Under the action of aerodynamic and electric driving forces, stable
cone-jet configurations can be obtained, resulting in multilayered microcapsules after the breakup of the compound
liquid jet because of flow instability. The feasibility and effectiveness of using this CFEFF method to encapsulate
multiple components into one shell is verified experimentally. The effects of various process parameters on the
morphology and size of the microcapsules are further studied.
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