Evaluating anti-inflammatory effects of drug-loaded PLGA microparticles on macrophages

Abstract

The use of a polymeric microparticle to deliver drugs has been renowned in many biomedical applications. Its capability of sustaining and controlling the release of the drug it contained has been used throughout the field. This study focused on the effect of size of an ibuprofen loaded PLGA microparticle on its loading capacity, drug release profile, alongside its cytotoxicity and ROS response towards macrophages. Different sized ibuprofen loaded PLGA microparticles were prepared using oil-in-water emulsion method and were homogenized at varying speeds. The newly synthesized particles then underwent SEM imaging to determine the size. The loading capacity of the particle ranges from 9 to 5% and was determined using HPLC. The drug release profile of each size was also plotted, with the smallest particle releasing the drug faster than the larger sized counterpart. In vitro testing with RAW 264.7 macrophages was also done to see the cytotoxic and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation effect of the fast drug release kinetics of the smaller particle. Smaller drug loaded particle reduced the cell viability, with the larger particle not having any significant effect on cell viability. Unfortunately, no conclusion can be made from the ROS generation test as PLGA alone affected the result. In conclusion, the release kinetics of ibuprofen from a PLGA microparticles can be controlled by altering the size of the particle itself, which opens up the possibility of tailoring the release of drugs for different needs in biomedical applications.