{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T03:17:17Z","timestamp":1790738237546,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,15]],"date-time":"2023-08-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1692057600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Wenzhou Medical University"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pharmaceutics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Injectable polymer microparticles with the ability to carry and release pharmacologically active agents are attracting more and more interest. This study is focused on the chemical synthesis, characterization, and preliminary exploration of the utility of a new type of injectable drug-releasing polymer microparticle. The particles feature a new combination of structural and physico-chemical properties: (i) their geometry deviates from the spherical in the sense that the particles have a cavity; (ii) the particles are porous and can therefore be loaded with crystalline drug formulations; drug crystals can reside at both the particle\u2019s surfaces and inside cavities; (iii) the particles are relatively dense since the polymer network contains covalently bound iodine (approximately 10% by mass); this renders the drug-loaded particles traceable (localizable) by X-ray fluoroscopy. This study presents several examples. First, the particles were loaded with crystalline voriconazole, which is a potent antifungal drug used in ophthalmology to treat fungal keratitis (infection\/inflammation of the cornea caused by penetrating fungus). Drug loading as high as 10% by mass (=mass of immobilized drug\/(mass of the microparticle + mass of immobilized drug) \u00d7 100%) could be achieved. Slow local release of voriconazole from these particles was observed in vitro. These findings hold promise regarding new approaches to treat fungal keratitis. Moreover, this study can help to expand the scope of the transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) technique since it enables the use of higher drug loadings (thus enabling higher local drug concentration or extended therapy duration), as well as application of hydrophobic drugs that cannot be used in combination with existing TACE embolic particles.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pharmaceutics15082146","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,15]],"date-time":"2023-08-15T11:09:44Z","timestamp":1692097784000},"page":"2146","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Polymeric Microspheres Designed to Carry Crystalline Drugs at Their Surface or Inside Cavities and Dimples"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Meitong","family":"Shen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Innovative Bioengineering Laboratory for Ocular Drug Delivery, School of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou Medical University, 270 Xueyuan West Road, Wenzhou 325027, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ling","family":"Zheng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Innovative Bioengineering Laboratory for Ocular Drug Delivery, School of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou Medical University, 270 Xueyuan West Road, Wenzhou 325027, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6430-4893","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Leo H.","family":"Koole","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Innovative Bioengineering Laboratory for Ocular Drug Delivery, School of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou Medical University, 270 Xueyuan West Road, Wenzhou 325027, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2875","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-021-23232-7","article-title":"Polymer-free corticosteroid dimer implants for controlled and sustained drug delivery","volume":"12","author":"Battiston","year":"2021","journal-title":"Nat. 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