Size-dependent cellular uptake and sustained drug release of PLGA particles

Poly(lactic-co-glycolic)acid(PLGA)particles have become a commonly used drug delivery strategy in the pharmaceutical industry.In this work,we aim to investigate the size-dependent cellular internalization of PLGA particles and its effects on sustained drug release.We prepared three different-sized particles using PLGA(200,500 and 2000 nm)ranging from submicrometer to micrometer.Dexamethasone(DEX)with excellent anti-inflammatory properties was used as a model drug to prepare DEX-loaded PLGA particles(DPs).We comprehensively investigated the encapsulation efficiency,cellular uptake and in vitro drug release profile.Pharmacodynamic assessment revealed that,in the lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells model,500 nm DPs showed sustained anti-inflammatory efficacy.This work provides important information for designing PLGA-based drug delivery systems for biomedical applications.