1 research outputs found
Programmable Photoswitchable Microcapsules Enable Precise and Tailored Drug Delivery from Microfluidics
The
development of precision personalized medicine poses a significant
need for the next generation of advanced diagnostic and therapeutic
technologies, and one of the key challenges is the development of
highly time-, space-, and dose-controllable drug delivery systems
that respond to the complex physiopathology of patient populations.
In response to this challenge, an increasing number of stimuli-responsive
smart materials are integrated into biomaterial systems for precise
targeted drug delivery. Among them, responsive microcapsules prepared
by droplet microfluidics have received much attention. In this study,
we present a UV-visible light cycling mediated photoswitchable microcapsule
(PMC) with dynamic permeability-switching capability for precise and
tailored drug release. The PMCs were fabricated using a programmable
pulsed aerodynamic printing (PPAP) technique, encapsulating an aqueous
core containing magnetic nanoparticles and the drug doxorubicin (DOX)
within a poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) composite shell modified
by PEG-b-PSPA. Selective irradiation of PMCs with ultraviolet (UV)
or visible light (Vis) allows for high-precision time-, space-, and
dose-controlled release of the therapeutic agent. An experimentally
validated theoretical model was developed to describe the drug release
pattern, holding promise for future customized programmable drug release
applications. The therapeutic efficacy and value of patternable cancer
cell treatment activated by UV radiation is demonstrated by our experimental
results. After in vitro transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE),
PMCs can be removed by external magnetic fields to mitigate potential
side effects. Our findings demonstrate that PMCs have the potential
to integrate embolization, on-demand drug delivery, magnetic actuation,
and imaging properties, highlighting their immense potential for tailored
drug delivery and embolic therapy