Construction of Programmable Drug Delivery System with Additive Manufacturing

Abstract

A programmable drug delivery system can control the release rate of a drug. It can minimize side effects while maximizing therapeutic effects. In this research, we investigated the feasibility of producing a programmable drug delivery system using 3D printing technology. A capsule with a micro-orifice and a drug-laden hydrogel was designed. The designed system was then fabricated by the printing process using polycaprolactone and hydrogel. The printed drug delivery system was immersed in PBS at 37°C and the number of molecules released was measured thorough colorimetric analysis. The effect of diameter and length of the micro-orifice and concentration of the hydrogel on drug release characteristics was then determined. The initial burst release rate was found to be increased with increasing orifice size. Increasing the length of the orifice linearly delayed the start time of drug release. At length of 600 µm and 1,200 µm, drug release was initiated after 36 h and 72 h for, respectively. When the concentration of hydrogel was increased, drug release rate tended to decrease. These results successfully confirmed that a drug delivery system with controlled release rate and initiation time could be manufactured using 3D printing technology.