ABSTRACT
The nanoprecipitation method was used to formulate ε-polycaprolactone (PCL) into fluorescent nanoparticles. Two methods of mixing the phases were evaluated: introducing the organic phase into the aqueous phase dropwise and via a specially designed microfluidic device. As a result of the nanoprecipitation process, fluorescein-loaded nanoparticles (NPs) with a mean diameter of 127 ± 3 nm and polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.180 ± 0.009 were obtained. The profiles of dye release were determined in vitro using dialysis membrane tubing, and the results showed a controlled release of the dye from NPs. In addition, the cytotoxicity of the NPs was assessed using an MTT assay. The PCL NPs were shown to be safe and non-toxic to L929 and MG63 cells. The results of the present study have revealed that PCL NPs represent a promising system for developing new drug delivery systems.
ABSTRACT
Current metal implants (e.g. stents) covered with drug-eluting coatings are not robust for long-term usage. Other types and methods of coatings are needed, especially ones that are not prone to activity loss in vivo. In this paper, the method of stainless steel (SS) coating with poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (PEGDMA) with the use of electropolymerization (EP) is presented. The application of a specific and simple reaction mixture enabled the production of SS-PEGDMA materials that possessed a homogenous surface. The polymer coating was durable for 28â¯days of constant washing. The resulting materials were non-toxic and haemolysis did not occur after incubation with blood. Moreover, because the coating filled up scratches present on bare SS and hydrophilized the SS surface, it reduced fibrinogen adsorption five times in comparison to SS and, unlike on SS, no platelet activation was detected. The presented method is a very promising candidate for scale up due to its simplicity and low cost.
