|
Various bupivacaine-loaded microspheres were prepared using poly(d,l-lactide) (PLA) and poly(d,l-lactic-co-glycolide) (PLGA) by a solvent evaporation method for the sustained release of drug. The effects of process conditions such as drug loading, polymer type and solvent type on the characteristics of microspheres were investigated. The prepared microspheres were characterized for their drug loading, size distribution, surface morphology and release kinetics. Drug loading efficiency and yield of PLGA microspheres were higher than those of PLA microspheres. The prepared microspheres had an average particle size below 5 μm. The particle size range of microspheres was 1.65∼2.24μm. As a result of SEM, the particle size of PLA microspheres was smaller than that of PLGA microspheres. In morphology studies, microspheres showed a spherical shape and smooth surface in all process conditions. In thermal analysis, bupivacaine-loaded microspheres showed no peaks originating from bupivacaine. This suggested that bupivacaine base was molecular-dispersed in the polymer matrix of microspheres. The release pattern of the drug from microspheres was evaluated for 96 hours. The initial burst release of bupivacaine base decreased with increasing the molecular weight of PLGA, and the drug from microspheres released slowly, In conclusion, bupivacaine-loaded microspheres were successfully prepared from poly(d,l-lactide) and poly (d,l-lactic-co-glycolide) polymers with different molecular weights allowing control of the release rate.
|