Preparation of lidocaine-loaded porous Poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) microparticles using microfluidic flow focusing and phosphate buffer solution porogen

Local anesthesia is widely used in the treatment of postoperative pain. Long time duration and constant release of the local anesthetic is important for pain control. In this study, a preparation method of porous Poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles loaded with local anesthetic, lidocaine was studied. Microfluidic flow-focusing device was used to prepare monodispersed microparticles. A phosphate buffer solution (PBS) was used as porogen. The geometry of microparticles was analyzed, and the drug release profile was determined by UV spectroscopy. Test results showed that porous microparticles are beneficial for sustained release of local anesthetic in long time duration over 40 days.