Effect of Processing Parameters on Mean Particle Size and Size Distribution of Crosslinked Dextran Microspheres Fabricated by Water/Oil Emulsification

Crosslinked dextran microspheres (CDMs) can be fabricated via crosslinking of the polymer dissolved in internal phase of an inverse emulsion system (W/O) using a chemicalcrosslinking agent e.g., epichlorohydrin (ECH). CDMs are attractive carriers for controlled delivery of bioactive agents due to their purity, biocompatibility, non-toxicity and biodegradability. Mean particle size and size distribution of CDMs plays a crucial role in drug delivery to a particular siteof the body due to its effect on drug release kinetics. To explain the dependency of particle size of particulate systems to the process parameters, the majority of studies use qualitative arguments hence, it will be of ultimate importance to develop an input-output correlation to afford an engineeringapproach to estimate the microgel size and size distribution and express them as a function of the operating variables. Thisstudy focuses on developing CDMs and, in particular, on characterizing the effects of process parameters on their particle size and size distribution