(730b) Fabrication of Biodegradable Ellipsoids for Drug Delivery

Recent literature suggests that non-spherical particles may be optimum for in vivo drug delivery. We demonstrate here the fabrication of ellipsoids from biodegradable polymer for drug delivery applications using oil-in-water (O/W) and water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) solvent-evaporation techniques. These fabrication methods have the advantages of utilizing a proven fabrication technique that is simple in setup, inexpensive, adaptable to several biodegradable polymers and therapeutics, and permits the attachment of targeting ligands due to resultant favorable surface characteristics. Particles were fabricated via these techniques from poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and poly(L-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone) (PLC) polymers. Additionally, bovine serum albumin (BSA)-loaded ellipsoids were fabricated using the W/O/W method; BSA was loaded as a model protein drug in order to demonstrate the utility of this fabrication method to make protein-loaded ellipsoids. The release rates of 6-carboxyfluorescein (6CF) from loaded PLGA spheres and ellipsoids were compared at 37°C in a PBS release medium. Biodegradable ellipsoidal particles may be optimal for several applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering, and these simple solvent-evaporation fabrication methods allow for the production of particles of variable sizes and aspect ratios loaded with various therapeutics.