| Summary: | Cancer is a fatal disease derived from the uncontrolled proliferation of abnormal cells through a series of mutagenic stages. To treat this disease, several drug delivery strategies and approaches have been looked into to achieve a controlled drug release delivery system. One such approach would be the use of biocompatiable and biodegradable particulate systems. Tweaking parameters in formulating particulate systems would allow the drug release profiles to be tuned. As such, biodegradable multiparticulate systems are promising candidates in achieving controlled drug release for chemotherapy.
In our study, double-layered microparticles composed of a poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) shell and poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) core, with a particulate size of ~30μm were fabricated through the solvent evaporation technique. Doxorubicin was localised in the PLGA shell and paclitaxel in the PLLA core. This study was conducted with the aim of looking into the drug release profile of single and dual-drug loaded microparticles. Particle morphologies of the fabricated microparticles were determined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), while drug localisation within the microparticles was determined with confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Subsequently, the drug release rates of doxorubicin and paclitaxel from single and dual-drug loaded microparticles were studied and compared. The drug release of doxorubicin from the shell displayed initial burst release and similar release profiles in both single and dual-drug loaded microparticles. Additionally, dual-drug loaded microparticles exhibited higher release of paclitaxel in comparison with single-drug loaded microparticles. It was found that the release of doxorubicin from the shell accelerated the release of paclitaxel from the core.
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