Production and characterization of poly lactic-co-glycolic acid particles containing anti-inflammatory substances for skin lesion recovery

Abstract

Poly lactic-co-glycolic acid particles are biodegradable and biocompatible drug delivery systems that provide a controlled release of drugs in specific sites. These characteristics minimize the occurrence of side effects related to overdosing. To overcome the issues associated with the conservative treatment for wound healing, the objective of this work was to develop a poly lactic-co-glycolic acid particles system to deliver anti-inflammatory compounds (epigallocatechin gallate and asiaticoside) to fibroblasts. Nanoscale (~200 nm) and microscale (~10 µm) poly lactic-co-glycolic acid particles were produced using two different protocols. Nanoscale particles reduced cell proliferation by 46% compared with untreated human skin fibroblasts, whereas microscale particles did not affect fibroblast viability significantly. The toxicity of nanoparticles and the nontoxic nature of microparticles were confirmed in live and dead cell staining experiments. In vitro drug release assays showed that particles containing epigallocatechin gallate and asiaticoside were able to release most of their payload during the first 8 h of incubation. The treatment of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated fibroblasts with epigallocatechin gallate- and asiaticoside-loaded microparticles effectively suppressed the expression of inflammatory factors: tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, and interleukin-6. In this study, we found that the optimal size of biodegradable poly lactic-co-glycolic acid particles for the delivery of physiologically active substances to fibroblasts is about 10 μm. Moreover, our findings indicate that poly lactic-co-glycolic acid particles of this size can be effectively applied to ameliorate tissue regeneration by delivering physiologically active substances to improve skin lesion recovery.