Coaxial electrospray for multimodal imaging and image-guided therapy

Abstract

Recent development in multimodal imaging and image-guided therapy requires multifunctional microparticles that encapsulate several imaging and therapeutic agents in the same carrier for simultaneous detection and treatment of the diseases. However, commonly used microfabrication processes for these microparticles have multiple limitations such as the low encapsulation efficiency and the loss of bioactivity for the encapsulated biological cargos. To overcome these limitations, we have carried out both the experimental and the theoretical studies on coaxial electrospray of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) PLGA microparticles. On the experimental side, a coaxial electrospray setup has been developed and tested. The setup consists of a customized coaxial needle assembly, two ring electrodes, two high-voltage power supplies, two syringe infusion pumps, a particle collection reservoir, and a process monitoring system. On the theoretical side, a classical normal mode method has been used for instability analysis of the coaxial electrified jet based on the experimental parameters. The effects of different dimensionless process parameters on the formation of different unstable modes have also been studied. The reported research represents the first step toward the quantitative control and optimization of the coaxial electrospray process for the fabrication of multifunctional microparticles in multimodal imaging and image-guided therapy.

Electrohydrodynamic atomization: A two-decade effort to produce and process micro-/nanoparticulate materials

“…Fig. 7d shows that the particles with dual functions were capable of silencing GFP production in 48 h. Si et al (2012, 2013) also demonstrated the loading of drugs and imaging agents in PLGA microparticles, indicating the potential of co-axial electrospray for encapsulation of different drugs and imaging agents within microparticles for multimodal diagnosis and imaging-guided treatment.…”

Microcápsulas Vacías Empleadas en Aplicaciones de Ultrasonidos: Generalidades, Usos y Métodos de Fabricación

“…Otra gran ventaja de EHDA es que se pueden producir partículas mono dispersas. Como se mencionó previamente, las aplicaciones farmacéuticas requieren partículas con un mismo tamaño, y dado a que la velocidad de remoción del solvente es lenta, eso mantiene la integridad de la cápsula (Si, et al, 2012) (Parhi & Suresh) (Benita, 2006).…”

Coaxial electrospray of microparticles and nanoparticles for biomedical applications

“…Si et al . used the uniform velocities U i with i = 1, 2, 3 for the inner liquid, the outer liquid and the ambient gas (in this case U 3 = 0) and the uniform axial electric field E 0 [79]. The corresponding dispersion relations were derived and written in an explicit analytical form, and the eigenvalues were computed by numerical methods.…”

“…The involved dimensionless parameters include: dimensionless wave number α = kR 2 , dimensionless frequency β = ωR 2 /U 2 , Weber number We = ρ 2 U 2 2 R 2 /γ 2 , dimensionless electrostatic force E = ε 3 E 0 2 /ρ 2 U 2 2 , density ratios S = ρ 1 /ρ 2 and Q = ρ 3 /ρ 2 , velocity ratio U = U 1 /U 2 , diameter ratio R = R 1 /R 2 , electric permittivity ratios ε 1P = ε 1 /ε 3 and ε 2P = ε 2 /ε 3 , conductivity ratio K = K 1 /K 2 , and interfacial tension coefficient ratio γ = γ 1 /γ 2 [79]. The instability analysis yielded the following three unstable modes: paravaricose mode, parasinuous mode and transitional mode.…”