Fabrication of PLGA/dextran double-layered microspheres by oil-in-water solvent evaporation method

Double-layered spheres play an important role in controlling drug delivery for pharmaceutical application, because of the low initial burst compared with single-layered spheres and targetable delivery to specific organ. But it has drawback in loading drug and controlling size. In this study, we developed double-layered spheres using relatively simple oil-in-water (O/W) solvent evaporation method with/without ultrasonication and investigated the size variation of the double-layered microspheres on the contents of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA). Double-layered spheres were characterized by scanning elecron microscope (SEM), camscope, and confocal fluorescence laser microscope (CFLM). Double-layered spheres showed smooth surfaces and obvious difference between core and corona by SEM observation and camscope. We observed the fluorescent core in the double-walled spheres composed of FITC-dextran and PLGA using CFLM. It was found that the core of the microsphere was dextran and the corona of the fabricate microsphere was PLGA. Also, the more PLGA concentration, the more the size of the fabricating double-layered sphere observed.