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Abstract:The release of insulin from insulin-containing CaCO 3 microspheres was investigated. The microspheres were prepared by mixing aqueous solutions of CaCl 2 and Na 2 CO 3 in the presence of insulin. The surface of the insulin-containing CaCO 3 microspheres was coated with a layer-by-layer thin film consisting of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) and poly(styrene sulfonate) to regulate the release kinetics of insulin. The release rate of insulin from the coated CaCO 3 microspheres was significantly suppressed compared with that of uncoated CaCO 3 microspheres, and depended on the thickness of the films. Rhombohedral calcite crystals of CaCO 3 formed from the microspheres during the release of insulin, suggesting that the CaCO 3 microspheres dissolved and recrystallized during the release of insulin.

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) microparticles were coated with layer-by-layer (LbL) films containing insulin and the pH-dependent release of insulin was studied. The LbL films were prepared on the surface of PLA microparticles by the alternate deposition of insulin and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) through the electrostatic attraction between insulin and PAH. The insulin loading on the PLA microparticles depended on the film thickness, which corresponded to the number of insulin layers, and on the pH of the solution used to deposit insulin. The insulin loading increased with the film thickness and when the film was prepared at pH 7.4. The LbL films decomposed upon exposure to acidic solutions because the electrostatic attraction between the insulin and the PAH in the films disappeared when the charge on insulin changed from negative to positive at an acidic pH, which resulted in the release of insulin. The temperature and salt concentration did not affect the pH stability of the LbL films. The pH threshold for insulin release was pH 5.0-6.0, which corresponds to isoelectric point of insulin, 5.4. The release of insulin from the microparticles was rapid, and was almost complete within a few minutes. The circular dichroism spectra showed that the released insulin retained its original secondary structure. Our insulin-loaded PLA microparticles may be useful for the controlled release of insulin.

The preparation of redox-active coatings is a key step in fabricating electrochemical biosensors. To this goal, a variety of coating materials have been used in combination with redox-active compounds. In this study, alizarin red S (ARS) was confined in layer-by-layer (LbL) films composed of poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) to study the redox properties. A gold (Au) disc electrode coated with PEI/CMC LbL film was immersed in an ARS solution to uptake ARS into the film. ARS was successfully confined in the LbL film through electrostatic interactions. The cyclic voltammogram (CV) of ARS-confined PEI/CMC film-coated electrodes thus prepared exhibited redox waves in the potential range from −0.5 to −0.7 V originating from 9,10-anthraquinone moiety in ARS, demonstrating that ARS preserves its redox activity in the LbL film. An additional oxidation peak appeared around −0.4 V in the CV recorded in the solution containing phenylboronic acid (PBA), due to the formation of a boronate ester of ARS (ARS-PBA) in the film. The oxidation peak current at −0.4 V decreased upon addition of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-dopa) to the solution. Thus, the results suggest a potential use of the ARS-confined PEI/CMC films for constructing voltammetric sensors for L-dopa.