Microfluidic Synthesis of pH-Sensitive Multicompartmental Microparticles for Multimodulated Drug Release

• Published in: Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) Vol. 12; no. 25; pp. 3463 - 3470
• Main Authors: Kim, Hyeon Ung, Choi, Dae Gun, Roh, Yoon Ho, Shim, Min Suk, Bong, Ki Wan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-07-2016; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Biodegradable materials; Carriers; Carriers, Drug; Drug Carriers - chemistry; Drug delivery systems; Drug Delivery Systems - methods; Drugs; flow lithography; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; ketal linkage-bearing monomer; Lithography; Microfluidics - methods; microparticles; Monomers; multimodulated drug release; Nanotechnology; pH-sensitive drug release; Polymers - chemistry; Silicon; Tumors; microparticles; multimodulated drug release; pH-sensitive drug release; ketal linkage-bearing monomer; flow lithography
• ISSN: 1613-6810; 1613-6829
• DOI: 10.1002/smll.201600798

Stimuli‐responsive carriers releasing multiple drugs have been researched for synergistic combinatorial cancer treatment with reduced side‐effects. However, previously used drug carriers have limitations in encapsulating multiple drug components in a single carrier and releasing each drug independently. In this work, pH‐sensitive, multimodulated, anisotropic drug carrier particles are synthesized using an acid‐cleavable polymer and stop‐flow lithography. The particles exhibit a faster drug release rate at the acidic pH of tumors than at physiological pH, demonstrating their potential for tumor‐selective drug release. The drug release rate of the particles can be adjusted by controlling the monomer composition. To accomplish multimodulated drug release, multicompartmental particles are synthesized. The drug release profile of each compartment is programmed by tailoring the monomer composition. These pH‐sensitive, multicompartmental particles are promising drug carriers enabling tumor‐selective and multimodulated release of multiple drugs for synergistic combination cancer therapy.
pH‐sensitive, multimodulated microparticles are synthesized using acid‐cleavable polymers and stop‐flow lithography for tumor‐selective multidrug release. The drug in the particles can be rapidly released at acidic tumor pH, but is slowly diffused at physiological pH. The drug release rate can be adjusted by controlling the monomer composition. Furthermore, multicompartmental Janus particles exhibit independent drug release of each compartment as programmed.