Electrohydrodynamic Atomization and Dialysis Techniques for Applications in controlled release of bioactive materials

Abstract

Abstract: In this study, biodegradable polymeric drug delivery devices were developed to encapsulate bioactive materials including anticancer drugs (paclitaxel and cisplatin), proteins (BSA), enzymes (lysozyme), and living cells (HepG2 cells) in the form of micro-/nanoparticles, micro-/nanofibers, thin films, and gel beads using Electrohydrodynamic Atomization (EHDA) and dialysis techniques. Several state-of-the-art analytical techniques were employed to characterize the controlled release devices. Paclitaxel-loaded PLGA nanoparticles developed using the dialysis method can be engulfed by C6 glioma cells and the cytotoxicity of nanoparticulate formulations is higher than the commercial formulation TaxolA?. In the EHDA process, the size of polymeric particles obtained was in the range from 200 nm to several tens of microns. In contrast, the diameter of polymeric fibers was in the range from 30 nm to 10A?m. Different shapes of particles (including donut shape and smooth spherical shape) can be adjusted by fine tuning the operating parameters in the EHDA process. The encapsulation of protein drugs using EHDA in the Taylor cone-jet mode was successfully achieved in the present study where the bioactivity of biomacromolecules after encapsulation could be retained by more than 90% as compared to its native form. In addition, polymeric particle and cell patterns can be formed through the electrospray deposition process. These cell patterns have potential applications in cell microarrays for high throughput screening of drugs and in diagnostics. In conclusion, EHDA and dialysis techniques are promising approaches in the fabrication of controlled release devices for pharmaceutical applications.