Development of a porous layer-by-layer microsphere with branched aliphatic hydrocarbon porogens

Abstract

Porous polymer microspheres are employed in biotherapeutics, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. Porosity dictates cargo carriage and release that are aligned with the polymer physicochemical properties. These include material tuning, biodegradation, and cargo encapsulation. How uniformity of pore size affects therapeutic delivery remains an area of active investigation. Herein, we characterize six branched aliphatic hydrocarbon-based porogen(s) produced to create pores in single and multilayered microspheres. The porogens are composed of biocompatible polycaprolactone, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid), and polylactic acid polymers within porous multilayered microspheres. These serve as controlled effective drug and vaccine delivery platforms.

Keywords: Layer-by-layer; Poly(glycolide-co-lactide); Poly(ε-caprolactone); Polylactide; Porogens; Porous microspheres; Solvent evaporation.