title: Microfluidic Synthesis of pH-Sensitive Multicompartmental Microparticles for Multimodulated Drug Release.
abstract: Stimuli-responsive carriers releasing multiple drugs have been researched for synergistic combinatorial cancer treatment with reduced side-effects. However, previously used drug carriers have limitations in encapsulating multiple drug components in a single carrier and releasing each drug independently. In this work, pH-sensitive, multimodulated, anisotropic drug carrier particles are synthesized using an acid-cleavable polymer and stop-flow lithography. The particles exhibit a faster drug release rate at the acidic pH of tumors than at physiological pH, demonstrating their potential for tumor-selective drug release. The drug release rate of the particles can be adjusted by controlling the monomer composition. To accomplish multimodulated drug release, multicompartmental particles are synthesized. The drug release profile of each compartment is programmed by tailoring the monomer composition. These pH-sensitive, multicompartmental particles are promising drug carriers enabling tumor-selective and multimodulated release of multiple drugs for synergistic combination cancer therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 136-713, South Korea.
authors.forename: Hyeon Ung
authors.initials: HU
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Division of Bioengineering, Incheon National University, Incheon, 406-772, South Korea.
authors.forename: Dae Gun
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 136-713, South Korea.
authors.forename: Yoon Ho
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Roh
authors.affiliation: Division of Bioengineering, Incheon National University, Incheon, 406-772, South Korea.
authors.forename: Min Suk
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Shim
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 136-713, South Korea.
authors.forename: Ki Wan
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Bong
mesh_terms: D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D044085:Microfluidics / Q000379:methods*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D011108:Polymers
keywords: flow lithography; ketal linkage-bearing monomer; microparticles; multimodulated drug release; pH-sensitive drug release