Flavopiridol is a small molecule drug that has been tested for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia, atheroma, arthritis, and inflammation. Flavopiridol is most often delivered in its soluble form, or more recently encapsulated in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles produced via emulsion. Standard emulsion method produces polydispersed microparticles with a wide size range, leading to difficulties in fine tuning the release kinetics and maintaining reproducibility. Existing emulsion methods also required the use of toxic solvents, such as dichloromethane (DCM), that are biologically incompatible and environmentally undesirable. In this presentation, a new synthetic approach based on microfluidics is used to produce flavopiridol loaded PLGA microparticles. In this system, the biocompatible solvent dimethyl carbonate (DMC) replaces DCM. PLGA microparticles with predefined diameter and flavopiridol load were produced, and the physical properties and drug release kinetics were determined <i>in vitro</i>, showing similar release profiles as conventional methods. The results demonstrate uniformity within, &lt; 3%. The particle morphology and intraparticular structure have been characterized using time-dependent SEM to allow size and structure measurements as well as degradation monitoring. The drug release kinetics was measured and compared similarly with the conventional method of production of PLGA microspheres. The advantages of using green solvent as well as <i>in vivo </i>applications will also be discussed in this presentation.

Microfluidic synthesis of drug-loaded PLGA microparticles: A greener approach

2019 Spring National Meeting

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