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Sedimentation field‐flow fractionation and granulometric analysis of PLGA microspheres
Author(s) -
Faisant Nathalie,
Battu Serge,
Senftleber Fred,
Benoit JeanPierre,
Cardot Philippe J. P.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of separation science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.72
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1615-9314
pISSN - 1615-9306
DOI - 10.1002/jssc.200301516
Subject(s) - dispersity , fractionation , particle size , field flow fractionation , chromatography , sedimentation , coulter counter , particle size distribution , analytical chemistry (journal) , plga , materials science , chemistry , microsphere , sediment , chemical engineering , nanoparticle , nanotechnology , polymer chemistry , geology , paleontology , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , engineering
Sedimentation field flow fractionation operated in the steric hyperlayer mode was used to obtain fractions of defined characteristics from crude samples of poly(D,L‐lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) microspheres which were polydisperse in size. In less than ten minutes, Sedimentation Field Flow Fractionation (SdFFF) separation yielded three analytical fractions of very different size and particle size distribution (PSD) characteristics, as determined by granulometric analyses (Coulter Counter® and image analysis of SEM). A crude sample (average size = 45 μm, 105% size polydispersity index) was separated into fractions of 73 μm, 56 μm, 8 μm average diameters which showed a PSD of 39%, 33%, 30%, respectively. Our results demonstrated that SdFFF used in conjunction with particle size analysis offers a new approach to laboratory scale production of drug vectors of a specified average size and reduced size dispersity. In the future, this could be used to select the most convenient particles for drug loading and release.