Size prediction of drug-loaded Polymeric (PLGA) microparticles prepared by microfluidics

Abstract

Drug-loaded poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles with ex-act control over size and homogeneity were created using a glass microfluidic cross-junction droplet generator. A numerical simulation based on the volume-of-fluid (VOF) method is used to study the behavior of two immiscible fluids that are injected into the microdevice: hydrophobic drug and (PLGA) in dichloromethane (DCM) serving as the dispersed phase and aqueous solution of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as the continuous phase. The simulation predicts the created emulsion droplet size regulation by adjusting the phase's flow rate. In a procedure known as droplet shrinking, dichloromethane extraction, and evaporation took place to further transform the monodisperse emulsion into PLGA microparticles. A numerical relationship is also given for the variations in the volume of droplets during shrinkage. The numerical results were consistent with the experiments. To further illustrate this technique's ability to manufacture designed microspheres with the least amount of repeated experiments, as well as the importance of the droplet microfluidic approach in terms of regulating diameter and monodispersity, opioid antagonist naltrexone is loaded in PLGA microspheres. According to the findings, integrating a versatile microfluidic approach with numerical methodologies enables the development of more reliable and reproducible drug delivery systems.