Design of Pectin-Based Hydrogel Microspheres for Targeted Pulmonary Delivery

Summary

Delivering drugs to the lungs by inhalation avoids injections, but the respiratory tract is built to expel or neutralise whatever it captures. Particle size is the decisive variable: too large and the particles never reach the deep lung, too small and they are exhaled again. This study develops microspheres of around 3 µm from pectin, a natural polymer, produced by electrospraying - the same equipment as electrospinning, with parameters set to break the jet into droplets rather than draw it into a fibre.

Authors & Affiliations

• Amy Chai

  Department of Chemistry, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN, USA
• Kevin Schmidt

  Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Program, University of Wisconsin, USA
• Grace Brewster

  Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Program, University of Wisconsin, USA
• Lucas S. P. Xiong

  Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Program, University of Wisconsin, USA
• Ben Church

  Advanced Analysis Facility, College of Engineering, University of Wisconsin, USA
• Todd Wahl

  School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin, USA

Linari Electrospinning Systems

Topics

Materials