Abstract
Microspheres with magnetic-fluorescent functions have received attention due to fluorescent tracking and target positioning. To improve the accuracy of optical imaging and the fluorescent tracking of drug release, it is essential to enhance the fluorescent intensity of microparticles. Magnetic-fluorescent bifunctional poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) Janus microspheres [PLGA/TbLa3(Bim)12]//[PLGA/Fe3O4] with double chambers were fabricated with the double-needle electrospraying method. The fluorescent drug TbLa3(Bim)12 with dual rare earth ions was encapsulated in one chamber, while Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4 MNPs) were simultaneously encapsulated in another chamber. In comparison, magnetic-fluorescent PLGA composite microspheres PLGA/TbLa3(Bim)12/Fe3O4 were also prepared, which encapsulated fluorescent drugs TbLa3(Bim)12 with dual rare earth (RE) ions and Fe3O4 MNPs in one chamber. The fluorescent intensity at 542 nm of Janus microspheres was about three times higher than that of composite microspheres due to a decrease in contact between fluorescent-labeling RE drug and MNPs. The fluorescent intensities of Janus microspheres with different contents of Fe3O4 MNPs and TbLa3(Bim)12 were investigated. Furthermore, the magnetic properties, thermostability, cell toxicity and hemolytic properties of Janus microspheres were also assayed to conduct a tentative exploration of their bioapplication. The Janus microspheres provide many opportunities for application in biofields such as drug delivery.
Highlights
With a drug delivery system (DDS), a drug can be released in a sustained or controllable manner at the target site inside the human body
Magnetic-fluorescent bifunctional Janus microspheres and composite microspheres were prepared using electrospraying with both double needles and single needles, in which TbLa3(Bim)[12] and Fe3O4 MNPs modified by HCl were employed
Janus microspheres exhibited a good Janus structure, and the drug TbLa3(Bim)[12] with dual Rare earth (RE) ions and Fe3O4 MNPs was distributed in different chambers
Summary
With a drug delivery system (DDS), a drug can be released in a sustained or controllable manner at the target site inside the human body. Magnetic-fluorescent functional microspheres allow targeted drug delivery by magnetic field and fluorescent tracing in vivo[3,4,5]. The fluorescent marker and drugs are typically independently distributed in DDS The separation makes it possible that the fluorescent marker may not completely reflect the drug delivery at each location or time, since the release and distribution of drugs differ from that of the fluorescent materials. We expected to fabricate improved fluorescent tracing by preparing a fluorescent-labeled drug complex and double-chamber multifunctional microspheric DDS. Janus structure particles with two asymmetric sides or surfaces that are different in chemical and/or physical properties provide a good solution to decrease the quenching effect of Fe3O4, and have potential applications in many fields[12,13,14]. Shepherd et al.[17] utilized microfluid devices to obtain Janus colloid-filled hydrogel granules
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