Approach For Microencapsulation Research Articles

Poly(Lactic-Co-Glycolic Acid) Microparticles for the Delivery of Model Drug Compounds for Applications in Vascular Tissue Engineering.

Localized delivery of angiogenesis-promoting factors such as small molecules, nucleic acids, peptides, and proteins to promote the repair and regeneration of damaged tissues remains a challenge in vascular tissue engineering. Current delivery methods such as direct administration of therapeutics can fail to maintain the necessary sustained release profile and often rely on supraphysiologic doses to achieve the desired therapeutic effect. By implementing a microparticle delivery system, localized delivery can be coupled with sustained and controlled release to mitigate the risks involved with the high dosages currently required from direct therapeutic administration. For this purpose, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles were fabricated via anti-solvent microencapsulation and the loading, release, and delivery of model angiogenic molecules, specifically a small molecule, nucleic acid, and protein, were assessed in vitro using microvascular fragments (MVFs). The microencapsulation approach utilized enabled rapid spherical particle formation and encapsulation of model drugs of different sizes, all in one method. The addition of a fibrin scaffold, required for the culture of the MVFs, reduced the initial burst of model drugs observed in release profiles from PLGA alone. Lastly, in vitro studies using MVFs demonstrated that higher concentrations of microparticles led to greater co-localization of the model therapeutic (miRNA) with MVFs, which is vital for targeted delivery methods. It was also found that the biodistribution of miRNA using the delivered microparticle system was enhanced compared to direct administration. Overall, PLGA microparticles, formulated and loaded with model therapeutic compounds in one step, resulted in improved biodistribution in a model of the vasculature leading to a future in translational revascularization.

Controllable hydrophobization of sands with self-healing polymeric microcapsules

Hydrophobized soils have functional hydrophobic coatings to delay or restrict water infiltration and thus prevent infrastructure failure and long-term degradation. Over time, hydrophobized soils will be subjected to degradation under the action of external stresses, leading to the loss of its functional properties. Microencapsulation approaches, initially developed for self-healing applications emerge as a potential solution to enhance, switch (from hydrophilic) or prolong the longevity of hydrophobized soils. The aim of this study is to produce and investigate the effectiveness of microencapsulation to impart hydrophobicity in granular materials in response to external stimuli. In this research, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), with hydrophobic properties, is encapsulated in calcium alginate microcapsules with the ionic gelation method. The effectiveness of the microcapsules to induce hydrophobicity is investigated by mixing sand with microcapsules and quantifying the change of the contact angle and water drop penetration time (measures of hydrophobicity) under an external trigger, i.e., under drying and consecutive wetting–drying cycles. The results show that microcapsules release the hydrophobic cargo (PDMS) during shrinkage. After drying, the PDMS content in sand increased to 0.1–0.8% by mass of sand. The released hydrophobic cargo (PDMS) induced hydrophobicity in sands, reflected by a contact angle increase from 29.7° to at least 87.7°. The amount of polydimethylsiloxane encapsulated is a key parameter controlling the release of hydrophobic cargo. In addition, 4% capsule content in sands is identified as an effective microcapsule content in inducing hydrophobicity.

Environmental assessment of an innovative adhesive for the footwear industry: road map for product development

PurposeThis work presents an environmental assessment of two adhesives to evaluate the replacement of the traditional adhesive (PU) used in the footwear industry by a novel adhesive based on a microencapsulation approach (PUMC) which is more favorable from the safety and technical perspectives. The PU adhesive is polyurethane-based, while the PUMC adhesive is polyurethane-based but with its isocyanate compounds microencapsulated, increasing storage life and reducing risks related to the exposure of workers with the adhesives.MethodsThe potential environmental impact of the adhesives was evaluated using the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. A detailed process model was developed (both for laboratory and for a pilot-scale implementation) to investigate the environmental impacts associated with these processes. The functional unit was one kilogram of adhesive (PU and PUMC adhesives) produced. A cradle-to-customers’ gate approach was defined. The system boundary starts from extraction of resources, through material production, until adhesive use. This includes microcapsule production in the case of the PUMC adhesive. This study investigates the important drivers behind the environmental impacts to help guide commercialization efforts. A scenarios study/sensitivity analysis was conducted to determine the response of the PUMC adhesive system to the variability of the model, scenarios, and parameters.ResultsThe results show that the PU adhesive environmental impact is due to acetone and polyol consumption in the production stage. In the PUMC adhesive system, acetone consumption and microcapsule production are the major factors responsible for the environmental impact. Polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT), dichloromethane (DCM), and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) consumption are the major factors responsible for the environmental impact of the microcapsules’ production. A sensitivity analysis was conducted using three alternative scenarios focused on the reduction in material consumption and increase in material recuperation, as well as using an alternative renewable energy source. Although the traditional PU adhesive has a lower impact, it was found that the three alternative PUMC adhesive systems can become comparable to the traditional PU adhesive.ConclusionsThis study shows the advance and development of a new technology for microencapsulation of isocyanate in adhesives and its environmental advantages and disadvantages with respect to a traditional product that uses non-encapsulated isocyanate. Finally, it was shown that there is significant potential for minimizing some environmental impacts of the PUMC adhesive, such as optimizing the microcapsules’ production stage, increasing the production efficiency to decrease the required material consumption.

A Review on Microencapsulation as Method of Drug Delivery

Microencapsulation can be described as heavy, fluid or gaseous substance packaging engineering with thin polymeric coatings, creating small particles called microcapsules. Microencapsulation is very helpful to increase the solubility of drugs. For the drugs of BCS Class-II we use this technique which enables us to get more solubility and increase dissolution profile. This is a novel method of drug delivery. In future aspect we can use this technique in the foodindustry, beverages. A microencapsulation approach for the preparation of an intrauterine contraceptionsystem was alsosuggested. This technique is helpful to overcome poor solubility, low Bioavaibility and less stability.This method also gives more control over the drawback of conventional dosages form.

A microencapsulation approach to design microbial seed coatings to boost wheat seed germination and seedling growth under salt stress

A microencapsulation approach to design microbial seed coatings to boost wheat seed germination and seedling growth under salt stress

Encapsulation of (E)-N’-(1-(7-(diethylamino)-2-oxo-2H-chromen-3 yl)ethylidene)benzohydrazide (7-diEAHC) in β-cyclodextrins: Optimized synthesis of 7-diEACH and in silico ADME profiling, physical stability, antioxidant properties of encapsulated 7-diEAHC and bioavailability in rats

The β-cyclodextrins (β-CD) as supramolecular have extremely attractive pharmaceutical applications. This study focused on the effects of macrocyclic systems complexation on stability, antioxidant activities, and bioavailability of the optimized synthesis coumarin incorporating hydrazone moiety. Optimal synthesis of (E)-N’-(1-(7-(diethylamino)-2-oxo-2H-chromen-3-yl)ethylidene)benzohydrazide (7-diEAHC) was performed by using response surface methodology (RSM) with a temperature of 100 °C, a reaction time of 10 min in the presence of acetic acid (0.85 M). Physicochemical properties and in silico ADME profiling of 7-diEAHC were also determined. The encapsulation efficiencies of the 7-diEAHC were above 81 % for the micro-encapsulates. After sunlight exposure, the 7-diEAHC-β-CD inclusion complex showed a photostability 19.4 % higher than free 7-diEAHC. Additionally, the encapsulated 7-diEAHC exhibited better stability than free 7-diEAHC for the pH varied between 1 and 9. From the results, storage stability showed that the encapsulation method using β-CD conferred a greater ability of 7-diEAHC against temperature. The NMR and FT-IR techniques were employed to evaluate the chemical stability of 7-diEAHC after encapsulation. In addition, in vivo study showed that the micro-encapsulation approach increased the oral bioavailability of 7-diEAHC in treated rats.

Development of a natural antifungal formulation for grated cheese and a microencapsulation approach using whey protein isolate and maltodextrin blend.

The antifungal activity of natural antimicrobials such as essential oils (EOs), citrus extracts, and other natural derivatives was evaluated against 10 fungal strains using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) analysis. Compounds having the highest inhibitory activity at the lowest concentrations were subsequently selected to evaluate the possible synergistic interactions by checkerboard method (FIC). The results showed that citrus extract A (CEA) and EOs rich in cinnamaldehyde had the highest inhibitory capacity against evaluated strains (Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus versicolor, Aureobasidium pullulans, Eurotium rubrum, Paecilomyces spp., Penicillium chrysogenum, Penicillium citrinum, Penicillium commune, Penicillium crustosum, and Penicillium roqueforti). The stability of the antifungal mixture was then optimized using lecithin and sucrose monopalmitate (SMP) as surfactants. Stability test showed that lecithin:SMP at HLB 10 maintains emulsion stability for 15 days of storage at 4°C. Encapsulation process for the loaded emulsion was optimized using whey protein isolate (WPI) and maltodextrin (MD) blend with ratios WPI:MD (1:2) and WPI:MD (1:3). The results showed that WPI:MD (1:3) led to a higher physicochemical stability (-40.5mV), encapsulation efficiency (91%), and antifungal activity (315ppm). Microencapsulation maintained the available active compounds content more prolonged with an average interval of 7 days compared to the nonencapsulated formulations during storage at 4°C.

Impact of gelatine coating on the performance of tannin-loaded pectin microbeads obtained through external gelation

One of the limitations of external gelation for microencapsulation is that small water-soluble compounds tend to diffuse out of the microbeads, resulting in low encapsulation efficiencies. In this work we propose a one-step approach for hydrogel microbead formation and simultaneous coating using external gelation. We explored amidated pectin as the encapsulation matrix for two different tannin-rich extracts (from chestnut and quebracho). The inclusion of tannin extracts contributed to the improvement of the structure of the microbeads through their interactions with pectin. By adding gelatine to the gelling bath, the microbeads were coated with the protein. This led to a significant increase in microencapsulation efficiency, which in some cases almost doubled compared to non-coated microbeads. Thanks to the binding of tannins with gelatine, coated microbeads loaded with the greatest amount of tannin extracts (20% w/w) presented the best retention of the bioactive compounds. A 14-days storage release study showed that these microencapsulation systems only experienced a slight loss of tannins during this period, with quebracho extract exhibiting greater retention than chestnut extract. Overall, by exploiting interactions in the pectin/tannins/gelatine ternary system, the proposed strategy for microbead production and coating in a single step allowed the development of a simple and more efficient microencapsulation approach for tannin extracts through external gelation.

Nanoencapsulation for Probiotic Delivery.

Gut microbiota dynamically participate in diverse physiological activities with direct impact on the host's health. A range of factors associated with the highly complex intestinal flora ecosystem poses challenges in regulating the homeostasis of microbiota. The consumption of live probiotic bacteria, in principle, can address these challenges and confer health benefits. In this context, one of the major problems is ensuring the survival of probiotic cells when faced with physical and chemical assaults during their intake and subsequent gastrointestinal passage to the gut. Advances in the field have focused on improving conventional encapsulation techniques in the microscale to achieve high cell viability, gastric and temperature resistance, and longer shelf lives. However, these microencapsulation approaches are known to have limitations with possible difficulties in clinical translation. In this Perspective, we present a brief overview of the current progress of different probiotic encapsulation methods and highlight the contemporary and emerging single-cell encapsulation strategies using nanocoatings for individual probiotic cells. Finally, we discuss the relative advantages of various nanoencapsulation approaches and the future trend toward developing coated probiotics with advanced features and health benefits.

A Rapid Method for Low Temperature Microencapsulation of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) Using a Coiled Tube Ultraviolet Reactor

Microencapsulation of phase change materials (PCMs) remain a suitable option within building materials, as they contribute to the thermal mass and provide an energy buffer, an added benefit. This paper presents a novel method for the rapid fabrication of microencapsulated phase change materials (PCMs) at ambient conditions in a perfluoroalkoxy (PFA) coiled tube ultraviolet (UV) reactor. The objective of this study was to optimize key parameters such as the product yield and quality of the as-prepared microcapsules. Rubitherm® RT-21™ PCM was microencapsulated within shells of poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) through a suspension emulsion polymerization approach, where the crosslinking of polymers was driven by UV radiations with an appropriate photoinitiator. The characteristics of the resulting PCM microcapsules were found to be affected by the volumetric flow rate of the emulsion inside the coiled tube reactor. Higher volumetric flow rates led to higher PCM contents and higher microencapsulation efficiency, resulting in an average particle size of 6.5 µm. Furthermore, the effect of curing time on the PCM microcapsule properties was investigated. The optimum encapsulation yield, conversion, efficiency and PCM content were observed after 10 min of polymerization time. The thermal analysis indicated that the developed process had an efficiency of 85.8%, and the capsules were characterized with excellent thermal properties. Compared to the conventional thermal microencapsulation processes, the use of a coiled tube UV reactor with an appropriate photoinitiator enables the encapsulation of heat-sensitive PCMs at ambient conditions, and reduces the microencapsulation time dramatically. As a result, this novel microencapsulation approach can lead to a wider scope of PCM encapsulation and enable rapid, continuous and potentially large-scale industrial production of PCM microcapsules with low energy consumption.

Electrospinning and Electrospraying with Cells for Applications in Biomanufacturing

Biomanufacturing of cell-laden scaffolds with biomimetic cell-scaffold organizations resembling the structures and anatomy of human body tissues and organs holds great promise in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In human body tissues and organs, specific types of cells are supported by nanofibrous extracellular matrix (ECM) in well-defined three-dimensional (3D) manners. Electrospinning is a facile and effective technique for producing nanofibrous scaffolds, which exhibit high similarities in the structure compared to ECM that offers structural and mechanical supports to cells in the human body. The incorporation within the electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds has therefore been considered as a promising approach for biomanufacturing of cell-laden scaffolds with tissue-mimicking structures. However, limited by low controllability of conventional cell seeding strategies and small sizes of interconnected pores of normal electrospun scaffolds, it is highly difficult to incorporate living cells within electrospun scaffolds on demand and results in cell-laden scaffolds with desirable 3D cell-scaffold organization. With recent advances in electrospinning and electrospraying with cells, it is visible to directly incorporate living cells within scaffolds via cell microencapsulation approaches and therefore offer promising alternatives for biomanufacturing of cell-laden scaffolds with tissue-mimicking structures. In this review, we will summarize the applications and challenges of cell seeding strategies and cell microencapsulation technologies for incorporating cells within electrospun scaffolds. Some techniques with high potentials to be integrated with electrospinning for forming the cell-laden scaffolds in continuous and noncontact manners, including aerodynamic-assisted cell microencapsulation, hydrodynamic-assisted cell microencapsulation and electrohydrodynamic-assisted cell microencapsulation (i.e., cell electrospinning and cell electrospraying), are highlighted. In particular, the cell microencapsulation and the subsequent formation of cell-laden scaffolds directly by electrospinning and electrospraying with living cells are overviewed in a detailed manner. Finally, the perspective and challenges of electrospinning and electrospraying with cells for biomanufacturing of cell-laden scaffolds with tissue-mimicking structures are discussed.

A flower-like waterborne coating with self-cleaning, self-repairing properties for superhydrophobic applications

A durable waterborne coating with superhydrophobic function has great application in construction, wooden furniture, vehicles, electronic instruments, and leather finishes. Here, we exploit a facile and scalable strategy for constructing durable wood products with superhydrophobic, self-cleaning, and self-repairing properties through a microencapsulation approach, which includes sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate as a carrier, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as wall material, and vinyl triethoxy silane (VTES) as core material. The superhydrophobic character is attributed to the –CH3 in stearic acid molecules that successfully grafted onto zinc acetate to generate zinc stearate (ZnSt2), forming a micron flower-like arrayed on the surface of the wood. Combining an uncomplicated immersion and heat treatment route, the collapsed coating can be recovered and the surfaces with the superhydrophobic structure can be regained. This durable coating strategy has high application value in many fields, for instance, wooden furniture, wooden structure buildings, and the protection of historic sites.

Bioinspired 3D Culture in Nanoliter Hyaluronic Acid-Rich Core-Shell Hydrogel Microcapsules Isolates Highly Pluripotent Human iPSCs.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are ideal for developing personalized medicine. However, the spontaneous differentiation of human iPSCs under conventional 2D and 3D cultures results in significant heterogeneity and compromised quality. Therefore, a method for effectively isolating and expanding high-quality human iPSCs is critically needed. Here, a biomimetic microencapsulation approach for isolating and culturing high-quality human iPSCs is reported. This is inspired by the natural proliferation and development of blastomeres into early blastocyst where the early embryonic stem cells-containing core is enclosed in a semipermeable hydrogel shell known as the zona pellucida (Zona). Blastomere cluster-like human iPSC clusters are encapsulated in a miniaturized (≈10 nanoliter) hyaluronic acid (HA)-rich core of microcapsules with a semipermeable Zona-like hydrogel shell and subsequently cultured to form pluripotent human iPSC spheroids with significantly improved quality. This is indicated by their high expression of pluripotency markers and highly efficient 3D cardiac differentiation. In particular, HA is found to be crucial for isolating the high-quality human iPSCs with the biomimetic core-shell microencapsulation culture. Interestingly, the isolated human iPSCs can maintain high pluripotency even after being cultured again in 2D. These discoveries and the bioinspired culture method may be valuable to facilitate the human iPSC-based personalized medicine.

A New and Highly Stable Cocrystal of Vitamin D3 for Use in Enhanced Food Supplements

A new cocrystal of Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol) and resorcinol has been discovered and characterized through experimental cocrystal screening. Its high stability has been studied against light, heat, and chemicals present in animal food premixes in order to develop a novel and alternative formulation to current microencapsulation approaches to protect Vitamin D3 from oxidation. Our results show that the new cocrystal is extremely stable and it can become the basis for very efficient formulations of Vitamin D3 which fulfills the stability requirements of industrial applications.

Microencapsulation Curcuminoids for Effective Delivery in Pharmaceutical Application.

Curcuminoids have been long proven to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties which are crucial in their role as a pharmacological active agent. However, its poor solubility, high oxidative degradation, light sensitivity and poor bioavailability have been huge hurdles that need to be overcome for it to be administered as an oral or even a topical medication. In this present study, a complex coacervation microencapsulation approach was used to encapsulate the curcuminoids using both gelatin B and chitosan (at the optimum ratio of 30:1% w/w) for a more efficient drug delivery system. Curcuminoids microcapsules (CPM) were developed to be spherical in shape, discrete and free flowing with a reduced color staining effect. The thick wall of the CPM contributes directly to its integrity and stability. Cross-linking increases the density of polymers’ wall network, hence, further increasing the decomposition temperature of curcuminoids microcapsules. Microencapsulation demonstrated an increment in curcuminoids solubility, while chemical cross-linking allowed for sustained release of the drug from the microcapsules by lowering the swelling rate of the available polymer networks. Thus, the microcapsules complied with the zero order release kinetics with super case-II transport mechanism. On the basis of all that was discussed above, it can be safely concluded that CPM should be incorporated in delivery system of curcuminoid, especially in its topical delivery for controlled drug release purposes, for not only a more efficient drug delivery system design but also a more efficacious optimization of the pharmacological benefits of curcuminoids.

Influence of key processing parameters and seeding density effects of microencapsulated chondrocytes fabricated using electrohydrodynamic spraying

Cell delivery and leakage during injection remains a challenge for cell-based intervertebral disc regeneration strategies. Cellular microencapsulation may offer a promising approach to overcome these limitations by providing a protective niche during intradiscal injection. Electrohydrodynamic spraying (EHDS) is a versatile one-step approach for microencapsulation of cells using a high voltage electric field. The primary objective of this work was to characterise key processing parameters such as applied voltage (0, 5, 10 or 15 kV), emitter needle gauge (21, 26 or 30 G), alginate concentration (1%, 2% or 3%) and flow rate (50, 100, 250 or 500 μl min−1) to regulate the size and morphology of alginate microcapsules as well as subsequent cell viability when altering these parameters. The effect of initial cell seeding density (5, 10 and 20 × 106 cells ml−1) on subsequent matrix accumulation of microencapsulated articular chondrocytes was also evaluated. Results showed that increasing alginate concentration and thus viscosity increased overall microcapsule size but also affected the geometry towards ellipsoidal-shaped gels. Altering the electric field strength and needle diameter regulated microcapsule size towards a smaller diameter with increasing voltage and smaller needle diameter. Needle size did not appear to affect cell viability when operating with lower alginate concentrations (1% and 2%), although higher concentrations (3%) and thus higher viscosity hydrogels resulted in diminished viability with decreasing needle diameter. Increasing cell density resulted in decreased cell viability and a concomitant decrease in DNA content, perhaps due to competing nutrient demands as a result of more closely packed cells. However, higher cell densities resulted in increased levels of extracellular matrix accumulated. Overall, this work highlights the potential of EHDS as a controllable and versatile approach to fabricate microcapsules for injectable delivery which can be used in a variety of applications such as drug development or cell therapies.

Lactobacillus spp. impair the ability of Listeria monocytogenes FBUNT to adhere to and invade Caco-2 cells.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of Lactobacillus curvatus CRL705, CRL1532, and CRL1533 and Lactobacillus sakei CRL1613 to survive under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Moreover, a microencapsulation approach was proposed to improve gastrointestinal survival. Finally, experiments were performed to demonstrate that Lactobacillus spp. can modulate the ability of Listeria monocytogenes FBUNT to adhere to and invade Caco-2 cells. Lactobacillus strains were encapsulated in alginate beads to enhance the survival of bacteria under in vitro gastrointestinal conditions. All strains hydrolyzed bile salts using chenodeoxycholic acid as a substrate and adhered to Caco-2 cells. Cell-free supernatants (CFSs) showed antimicrobial activity against L. monocytogenes as demonstrated by agar diffusion assays. The average percentages of L. monocytogenes adhesion decreased from 67.74 to 41.75 and 38.7% in the presence of 50 and 90% (v/v), respectively, for all CFSs tested. The highest concentrations of CFSs completely inhibited the L. monocytogenes invasion of Caco-2 cells. The studied Lactobacillus strains have protective effects against the adhesion and invasion of L. monocytogenes FBUNT. Alginate encapsulation of these bacteria improved gastrointestinal tolerance such that they could be further studied as potential probiotics against intestinal pathogenic bacteria.

One step fabrication of hydrogel microcapsules with hollow core for assembly and cultivation of hepatocyte spheroids.

Our paper combines an interesting new way for making capsules with cultivation of difficult-to-maintain primary epithelial cells (hepatocytes). The microcapsules described here will enable high density suspension culture of hepatocytes or other cells and may be used as building blocks for engineering tissues.

Fragrance‐Containing Microcapsules Based on Interfacial Thiol‐Ene Polymerization

ABSTRACTIn this study, microcapsules containing fragrance oils as active agent were synthesized by interfacial thiol‐ene polymerization in oil‐in‐water emulsion. One water‐soluble dithiol and four oil‐soluble acrylates were used as “click”able monomers. The polymerization kinetics was studied by HPLC and 1H‐NMR. The size and morphology of the microcapsules were characterized by means of light scattering, optical microscope, and scanning electron microscope, and their thermal property was examined by TGA. The encapsulation efficiency and stability of the microcapsules were monitored at room temperature and 45 °C for 1 month. In general, this interfacial thiol‐ene polymerization was demonstrated to be a facile and efficient approach for fragrance microencapsulation with new and stable shell materials. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43905.

On prilled Nanotubes-in-Microgel Oral Systems for protein delivery

Newly discovered active macromolecules are highly promising for therapy, but poor bioavailability hinders their oral use. Microencapsulation approaches, such as protein prilling into microspheres, may enable protection from gastrointestinal (GI) enzymatic degradation. This would increase bioavailability mainly for local delivery to GI lumen or mucosa. This work’s purpose was to design a novel architecture, namely a Nanotubes-in-Microgel Oral System, by prilling for protein delivery. Halloysite nanotubes (HNT) were selected as orally acceptable clay particles and their lumen was enlarged by alkaline etching. This chemical modification increased the luminal volume to a mean of 216.3μLg−1 (+40.8%). After loading albumin as model drug, the HNT were entrapped in microgels by prilling. The formation of Nanoparticles-in-Microsphere Oral System (NiMOS) yielded entrapment efficiencies up to 63.2%. NiMOS shape was spherical to toroidal, with a diameter smaller than 320μm. Release profiles depended largely on the employed system and HNT type. Protein stability was determined throughout prilling and after in vitro enzymatic degradation. Prilling did not harm protein structure, and NiMOS demonstrated higher enzymatic protection than pure nanotubes or microgels, since up to 82% of BSA remained unscathed after in vitro digestion. Therefore, prilled NiMOS was shown to be a promising and flexible multi-compartment system for oral (local) macromolecular delivery.