Biodegradable poly(D, L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microspheres for sustained release of risperidone: Zero-order release formulation

Abstract

The preparation and investigation of sustained-release risperidone-encapsulated microspheres using erodible poly(D, L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) of lower molecular weight were performed and compared to that of commercial Risperdal Consta^™ for the treatment of schizophrenia. The research included screening and optimizing of suitable commercial polymers of lower molecular weight PLGA50/50 or the blends of these PLGA polymers to prepare microspheres with zero-order release kinetics properties. Solvent evaporation method was applied here while studies of the risperidone loaded microsphere were carried out on its drug encapsulation capacity, morphology, particle size, as well as in vitro release profiles. Results showed that microspheres prepared using 50504A PLGA or blends of 5050-type PLGAs exerted spherical and smooth morphology, with a higher encapsulation efficiency and nearly zero-order release kinetics. These optimized microspheres showed great potential for a better depot preparation than the marketed Risperdal Consta^™, which could further improve the patient compliance.

Keywords::

• Risperidone
• poly(D
• L-lactide-co-glycolide)(PLGA)
• microsphere
• zero-order release
• schizophrenia

Acknowledgements

This work was supported partially by the Key Laboratory of supramolecular structure and materials of Jilin University for Technical Support.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.