International Journal of Nanomedicine (Mar 2018)
Acoustically enhanced microfluidic mixer to synthesize highly uniform nanodrugs without the addition of stabilizers
Abstract
Nguyen Hoai An Le,1 Hoang Van Phan,1 Jiaqi Yu,2 Hak-Kim Chan,2 Adrian Neild,1 Tuncay Alan1 1Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 2The Advanced Drug Delivery Group, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia Background: This article presents an acoustically enhanced microfluidic mixer to generate highly uniform and ultra-fine nanoparticles, offering significant advantages over conventional liquid antisolvent techniques.Methods: The method employed a 3D microfluidic geometry whereby two different phases – solvent and antisolvent – were introduced at either side of a 1 µm thick resonating membrane, which contained a through-hole. The vibration of the membrane rapidly and efficiently mixed the two phases, at the location of the hole, leading to the formation of nanoparticles.Results: The versatility of the device was demonstrated by synthesizing budesonide (a common asthma drug) with a mean diameter of 135.7 nm and a polydispersity index of 0.044.Conclusion: The method offers a 40-fold reduction in the size of synthesized particles combined with a substantial improvement in uniformity, achieved without the need of stabilizers. Keywords: microfluidics, nanodrugs, budesonide, liquid antisolvent method
