PLA Nano- and Microparticles for Drug Delivery: An Overview of the Methods of Preparation

VERÓNICA LASSALLE; MARÍA LUJÁN FERREIRA

Macromolecular Bioscience - (Online)

Wiley-VCH-Verlag

Lugar: Winheim; Año: 2007 vol. 7 p. 767 - 783

1616-5195

The controlled release of medicaments remains the most convenient way of delivering drugs. In consequence, a wide variety of reports can be found in the open literature dealing with drug delivering systems. In particular the use of micro/nanoparticulate devices has received special attention during the past two decades. Polylactic acid (PLA) and its copolymers with glycolic acid (GA) and/or polyethylene glycol (PEG) appear as the preferred substrates to fabricate these devices. The methods of fabrication of these particles will be reviewed in this article, describing in detail the experimental variables associated with each one with regard to the influence of them on the performance of the particles as drug carriers. An analysis of the relationship between the method of obtention and the kind of drug to encapsulate is also included. Furthermore, certain issues involved in the addition of other monomeric substrates than lactic acid to the particles formulation as well as novel devices, other than nano/microparticles, will be discussed in the present work considering the published literature available.