3B's Research Group, I3Bs-Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, Barco, Guimarães, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
CESPU, Instituto de Investigação e Formação Avançada em Ciências e Tecnologias da Saúde, Gandra PRD, Portugal.
Nanomedicine. 2022 Feb;40:102482. doi: 10.1016/j.nano.2021.102482. Epub 2021 Nov 5.
In this study, a microfluidic device was employed to produce polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) with well-controlled sizes. The influence of several parameters in the synthesis process, namely, polymer concentration, flow rate and flow rate ratio between the aqueous and organic solutions was investigated. To evaluate the NPs size effect, three diameters were selected (30, 50 and 70 nm). Their cytocompatibility was demonstrated on endothelial cells and macrophages. Additionally, their efficacy to act as drug carriers was assessed in an in vitro inflammatory scenario. NPs loaded and released diclofenac (DCF) in a size-dependent profile (smaller sizes presented lower DCF content and higher release rate). Moreover, 30 nm NPs were the most effective in reducing prostaglandin E concentration. Therefore, this study demonstrates that microfluidics can generate stable NPs with controlled sizes, high monodispersity and enhanced batch-to-batch reproducibility. Indeed, NPs size is a crucial parameter for drug encapsulation, release and overall biological efficacy.
在这项研究中，使用微流控装置制备具有良好尺寸控制的聚合物纳米颗粒 (NPs)。研究了合成过程中的几个参数的影响，即聚合物浓度、流速以及水相和有机相之间的流速比。为了评估 NPs 尺寸的影响，选择了三种直径（30、50 和 70nm）。在血管内皮细胞和巨噬细胞上证明了它们的细胞相容性。此外，在体外炎症情况下评估了它们作为药物载体的功效。NPs 以依赖尺寸的方式负载和释放双氯芬酸 (DCF)（较小的尺寸具有较低的 DCF 含量和更高的释放率）。此外，30nm NPs 最有效地降低前列腺素 E 浓度。因此，本研究表明，微流控技术可以生成具有可控尺寸、高单分散性和增强批次间重现性的稳定 NPs。事实上，NPs 的尺寸是药物包封、释放和整体生物学功效的关键参数。
