Magnetic navigation helps PLGA drug loaded magnetic microspheres achieve precise chemoembolization and hyperthermia

The poly-(lactic-co-glycolic acid) drug loaded magnetic microspheres (PLGA-DMMs) containing anti-tumor drug PTX with well-controlled sizes have been prepared by novel rotating membrane emulsification technique. Scanning electron microscopy and EDS showed that the as-prepared microspheres had regular shape while the C, O and Fe elements were observed distribution on the surface uniformly. The in vitro cytotoxicity and magnetically induced heating evaluation certified their well biocompatibility and excellent heating performance, respectively. The HPLC confirmed these as-prepared microspheres with fine drug loading coefficient 8.1 % along with 94.6 % encapsulation efficiency. In particular, PTX release behavior revealed that temperature had played a decisive role to affect the drug release during 90 days. We subsequently introduced the gradient magnetic field analysis system to simulate magnetic navigation embolization and help understanding the dynamic behavior of microspheres during this process. We believe that this work can not only enrich the fabrication of drug loaded magnetic microspheres with high performance, but also provide a valuable reference for achieving precise chemoembolization and hyperthermia via magnetic navigation in the future.