Degradable Mesoporous Bioglass Microspheres for Chemoembolization Prepared by Microfluidic Method

doi:10.15541/jim20260111

Abstract

Abstract: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a widely employed clinical procedure for the treatment of unresectable liver tumors. However, existing embolic microspheres exhibit certain limitations regarding drug loading capacity, sustained drug release, and mechanical adaptability. To address these challenges, in this study, the rigid mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG) microspheres via a one-step microfluidic technique were prepared, yielding particles with a high specific surface area, uniform and controllable size, bimodal pore size distribution with peaks at approximately 5 nm and 8 nm, as well as biodegradability, elevated drug loading efficiency, and sustained drug release profiles. Furthermore, doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded MBG microspheres were encapsulated within sodium alginate (SA) to form MBG-DOX@SA core-shell composite microspheres, which demonstrated pH-responsive and controlled drug release behavior. Drug encapsulation efficiency of this composite system was (81.50±1.93)%. SA shell effectively mitigated the initial burst release of the drug during early embolization and significantly decelerated the cumulative release rate. Under the weakly acidic conditions of the tumor microenvironment (pH 5), the cumulative release after 10 days was only (59.99±1.91)%. Additionally, the SA encapsulation enhanced the surface smoothness and elasticity of the DOX-loaded MBG microspheres, thereby extending the drug diffusion pathway, while also endowing the composite microspheres with improved biocompatibility and safety profiles during treatment. In antitumor tests, the composite microspheres achieved a cell death rate of (36.00±0.03)%. These results indicate that MBG-DOX@SA microspheres represent a promising candidate for application in TACE-based therapies for liver cancer.

Key words: mesoporous bioglass, microsphere, transarterial chemoembolization, drug delivery

CLC Number:

TQ174

ZHANG Xiaoliang, YANG Zili, TIAN Yuecheng, LI Dejian, ZHU Min. Degradable Mesoporous Bioglass Microspheres for Chemoembolization Prepared by Microfluidic Method[J]. Journal of Inorganic Materials, DOI: 10.15541/jim20260111.

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