Co-Encapsulation of Dexamethasone-acetate and SPIONs in PRINT Nanoparticles (2011)

Undergraduates: Matthew Detter, John Fain Kevin Herlihy

Faculty Advisor: Joseph DeSimone
Department: Chemistry

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Particle Replication In Non-wetting Templates, PRINT®, is a novel platform for synthesizing micron and nano-sized particles with strict control of colloidal features such as shape, size, composition, and cargo encapsulation. This project details the fabrication, characterization, and comparison of 80nm x 320 nm and 200nm x 200nm PRINT particles. These PRINT particles co-encapsulate dexamethasone-21-acetate (Dex-ac) and Fe3O4 (magnetite) in a Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) matrix. Dex-ac is an anti-inflammatory steroid which has been shown to be an effective treatment for arthritis and inner ear swelling as well as a preventative therapeutic for liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. A unique feature of these PRINT particles is the incorporation of magnetite which serves as a targeting method for the particles. Because of their superparamagnetic properties, magnetite nanoparticles are able to be directed and targeted within the body with a noninvasive external magnetic field. A series of experiments was conducted to show the importance of the anisotropic nature of the 80nm x 320nm particles when compared to the 200nm x 200 nm particles. SEM images confirm that the 80nm x 320nm particles are able to be aligned along their critical diameter in an external magnetic field. Additional experiments comparing the ability of the particles to pass through a 200nm track etch membrane are currently being conducted.