Fabrication of terazocin-loaded poly(D,L-lactide) microspheres by an ultrasonic spray drying method and their release behaviors

Abstract

Terazocin should be frequently administered for a long period time for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia which is one of the most common diseases in elderly men. Controlled delivery of terazocin using polymer microspheres has a great potential to solve the problem. In this study, terazocin-incorporated poly(D,L-lactide) (PDLLA) microspheres were fabricated by a novel ultrasonic spray drying (USD) method, which is a rapid one-step process. The approximate diameters of microspheres were in a range of between 0.3 and 3 mu m. SEM confirmed that the microspheres had a spherical shape and narrow size distribution. FT-IR spectroscopy demonstrated that the incorporated terazocin remained intact after the USD process. The microspheres showed a fast initial burst release of terazocin within nine hours, followed by a slow but steady release for 49 days, suggesting that these microspheres are highly promising for controlled drug delivery.