The in vivo evaluation of poly(lactic acid) microcapsules of pilocarpine hydrochloride

Preparation and characterization of biodegradable poly(l-lactide)/poly(ethylene glycol) microcapsules containing erythromycin by emulsion solvent evaporation technique

In this work, the producing of a biodegradable poly(l-lactide) (PLA)/poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) microcapsule by emulsion solvent evaporation method was investigated. The effect of PEG segments added to the PLA microcapsules on the degradation, size distribution, and release behavior was studied. According to the results, PLA/PEG copolymer was more hydrophilic than PLA homopolymer, and with lower glass transition temperature. The surface of PLA/PEG microcapsules was not as smooth as that of PLA microcapsules, the mean diameters of prepared PLA and PLA/PEG microcapsules were 40 and 57 microm, respectively. And spherical forms were observed by the image analyzer and the scanning electron microscope (SEM). Drug release from microcapsules was affected by the properties of PLA/PEG copolymers determined by UV-vis spectra. It was found that the drug release rates of the microcapsules were significantly increased with adding of PEG, which explained by increasing hydrophilic groups.

Drug microencapsulation by PLA/PLGA coacervation in the light of thermodynamics. 1. Overview and theoretical considerations

Phase separation of poly(lactide) (PLA) and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA), often called "coacervation" in the pharmaceutical field, is one of the classical methods for peptide drug microencapsulation in biodegradable polyesters. Although numerous studies have used this technique, the underlying physicochemical mechanisms of polyester coacervation under conditions of microsphere production have not been well-described yet. Moreover, the quality of microencapsulation in terms of drug loading efficiency and residual organic solvents is often not entirely satisfactory and depends greatly on the specific drug and polymer used. The first part of this contribution reviews briefly the scientific and patent literature on PLA/PLGA coacervation. Then, the underlying physicochemical principles of polyester coacervation are discussed and relevant thermodynamic models presented. More specifically, attempts were made to clarify the necessary characteristics of polymers, solvents, and coacervating and hardening agents for successful phase separation and microsphere formation. These basic considerations may contribute to a better understanding of the boundary conditions crucial for efficient drug microencapsulation by polyester coacervation.

Injectable microcapsules prepared with biodegradable poly(alpha-hydroxy) acids for prolonged release of drugs

In this paper, microencapsulation techniques for the preparation of drug-containing monolithic microcapsules for prolonged release using biodegradable poly(alpha-hydroxy) acids, such as polylactic acid, poly(lactide-co-glycolide) and copoly(lactic/glycolic) acid are reviewed. Phase separation, solvent evaporation, and spray drying procedures are discussed. In order to achieve controlled-release formulations of highly water-soluble drugs that are entrapped efficiently, various manufacturing techniques and procedures have been developed. Degradation of poly(alpha-hydroxy) acids is altered by the copolymer ratio and molecular weight of the polymer used to make microcapsules and the amounts of released microencapsulated drugs correlate almost linearly with polymer degradation, indicating that controlled-release formulations, which release drugs over different times, can be prepared using suitable poly(alpha-hydroxy) acids with different degradation rates.

Simplex lattice design for the optimization of the microencapsulation of a water soluble drug using poly(lactic acid) and poly(lactide co-glycolide) copolymer

An emulsion solvent evaporation technique was applied to prepare microspheres of nicotinic acid as a water soluble vitamin. Poly(lactic acid) of two molecular weights, 2000 and 100,000 and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (50:50) of molecular weight 18,000 were used. A simplex lattice design with the aid of a computer program was applied to study the effect of the previously mentioned polymers on different characteristics of the prepared microcapsules. The studied characteristics included the yield, the percentage drug loading and the particle size of microcapsules. Microcapsules were examined by light microscope for particle size determination and by electron scanning microscope for surface morphology characterization. The release pattern of the drug from the microcapsules was evaluated on the basis of the burst effect, the rate of release and the extent of release after 24 h. A model equation was developed to be the best representation of the relationship between the above polymers and the measured characteristics. The goodness of fit of the developed equations was checked, both statistically and experimentally. The release of the drug from microcapsules mainly followed the Higuchi diffusion model. Polylactic acid of a molecular weight 100,000 had the most pronounced delaying effect on the release rate of the drug. However, polylactic acid of a molecular weight 2,000 showed the highest improvement effect on the yield and the drug loading characteristics of the microcapsules. Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) copolymer exhibited the lowest burst effect and the most steady drug release pattern.

Biodegradable poly(lactic acid) and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) microcapsules: problems associated with preparative techniques and release properties

Poly(lactic acid) [PLA] and its co-polymers with glycolic acid [PLCG] have been known to be biodegradable and histocompatible for the past 20 years. Their physico-chemical and biological properties have been found suitable, in many instances, for sustaining drug release in vivo for days or months. Several dosage forms for parenteral administration have been investigated using these polymers and a microencapsulation technique is chosen frequently for its unique properties. There are a limited number of published papers concerning preparation and characterization of PLA or PLCG microcapsules, possibly because of commercial unavailability and difficulties in the synthesis of reproducible batches of these polymers. However, microcapsules can be made using different traditional and non-traditional techniques containing core materials ranging from biological proteins to synthetic drugs. An attempt is made here to review problems associated with the different microencapsulation techniques using PLA or PLCG. In vivo and in vitro drug release from these microcapsules is also reviewed.

Microencapsulation using poly (L-lactic acid) II: Preparative variables affecting microcapsule properties

Poly (L-lactic acid) [L-PLA] microcapsules containing phenobarbitone were prepared from a w/o emulsion system, using light liquid paraffin as the continuum and a solution of phenobarbitone and L-PLA in acetonitrile as the disperse phase. Increasing stirring rate and emulsifying agent concentration were found to reduce microcapsule size. Spans (sorbitan esters of fatty acids) and Brijs (polyoxy ethylene ethers of fatty acids) with different physicochemical properties have been found to produce microcapsules of differing size. An attempt has been made to correlate emulsifier properties and the corresponding microcapsule size. It was found that the emulsifiers had little or no effect on the interfacial tension between light liquid paraffin and acetonitrile and there was no correlation between HLB of the emulsifiers and the resulting microcapsule size. It was postulated that microcapsule size would be affected by the packing of the emulsifier at the interface which would depend on the structure of the emulsifier. Closer, more uniform packing by the straight chain saturated fatty acid containing emulsifiers produced smaller microcapsules than when lose packing, which existed when emulsifiers containing either three fatty acid chains or a 'V' shaped cis-double bond containing fatty acid chain, were used. Microcapsule size was found to increase rapidly with an increase in polymer concentration, if this polymer concentration was increased in conjunction with an increase in the total solid content of the dispersed phase. Increases in polymer concentration by reducing the quantity of solvent for the dispersed phase caused little increase in mean microcapsule size. The phenobarbitone content in the microcapsules was not affected significantly by variations in the preparative parameters.