Magnetic alginate microspheres detected by MRI fabricated using microfluidic technique and release behavior of encapsulated dual drugs

Abstract

Qin Wang,1 Shanshan Liu,1 Fan Yang,2 Lu Gan,3 Xiangliang Yang,3 Yajiang Yang1 1National Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, 2Department of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, 3National Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China Abstract: Alginate microspheres loaded with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIO NPs) have been fabricated by a T-junction microfluidic device combined with an external ionic crosslinking. The obtained microspheres possess excellent visuality under magnetic resonance due to the presence of only 0.6 mg/mL SPIO NPs. The microspheres also show uniform size with narrow distribution and regular spherical shape characterized by optic microscope and environmental scanning electron microscope. Furthermore, dual drugs (5-fluorouracil and doxorubicin hydrochloride) have been loaded within the microspheres. The release behavior of dual drugs from the microspheres show typical sustained release profiles. As a novel embolic agent, such microspheres in blood vessels can be tracked by magnetic resonance scanner. Thus, the integration of embolotherapy, chemotherapy, and postoperative diagnosis can be realized. Keywords: MRI visuality, chemoembolization, microfluidics, dual drugs, alginate micro­spheres 

Keywords

• MRI visuality
• chemoembolization
• microfluidics
• dual-drug