Preparation and evaluation of PLA/PVP core–shell microparticles mat via single capillary electrospraying as a potential drug-loading material

Abstract

Microparticles had attracted a lot of attention for biomedical applications because of their injectable and biomimetic properties. We reported a method for preparing Polylactic acid (PLA)/Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) core–shell microparticles by single capillary electrospraying and explored their potential applications for drug-loading. The shape of microparticles can be controlled by varying ratios of PLA and PVP during the electrospraying process. Different morphologies were achieved including spindle-like, erythrocyte-like and disk-like microparticles. Furthermore, the method of preparing core–shell microparticles was simple and repeatable. Compared with spherical microparticles, erythrocyte-like microparticles can flow through capillaries by morphing into a parachute-like shape. When the particle morphology converted to disk-like, the increase of water contact angle attributed to the PVP rapid dissolution and the residual PLA interconnection to form a continuous hydrophobic membrane. Besides, the microparticle membrane was extremely low-toxic to cells by MTT assay. Taken together, we prepared injected core–shell microparticles by single capillary electrospraying, which had potential application in drug-loading.