Encapsulation of an antifungal agent within biodegradable polymers: composition effect

Abstract

Polylactic acid and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) are two aliphatic polyesters commonly used in drug delivery systems. Having a hydrophobic nature, they could be used for the encapsulation of hydrophobic drugs such as Amphotericin B. Drug-loaded microspheres were prepared using solvent evaporation by changing the ratio of Polylactic acid to poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) in the organic mixture. Results showed that higher drug encapsulation and drug loading values were seen for formulations having higher lactide content. This had also influenced the drug release rate which was slower at higher lactide percentage. Microspheres, which were spherical in shape and porous in structure, had homogeneous particles sizes ranging between 100 and 300 µm. At last, FT-IR spectra recorded in this study revealed a stable character of both polymer and drug after microencapsulation.