Advanced Microfluidic Technologies for Lipid Nano-Microsystems from Synthesis to Biological Application

Abstract

Microfluidics is an emerging technology that can be employed as a powerful tool for designing lipid nano-microsized structures for biological applications. Those lipid structures can be used as carrying vehicles for a wide range of drugs and genetic materials. Microfluidic technology also allows the design of sustainable processes with less financial demand, while it can be scaled up using parallelization to increase production. From this perspective, this article reviews the recent advances in the synthesis of lipid-based nanostructures through microfluidics (liposomes, lipoplexes, lipid nanoparticles, core-shell nanoparticles, and biomimetic nanovesicles). Besides that, this review describes the recent microfluidic approaches to produce lipid micro-sized structures as giant unilamellar vesicles. New strategies are also described for the controlled release of the lipid payloads using microgels and droplet-based microfluidics. To address the importance of microfluidics for lipid-nanoparticle screening, an overview of how microfluidic systems can be used to mimic the cellular environment is also presented. Future trends and perspectives in designing novel nano and micro scales are also discussed herein.

Liposomes: An emerging carrier for targeting Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases

“…Microfluidics can provide rapid and tunable mixing, a homogenous reaction environment and a high-throughput experimental platform. Microfluidics fine control of flow and mixing conditions has been used to change particle size and improve the homogeneity of particle size distributions [ 62 , 63 ]. Liposomes production through microfluidics techniques comprises electroformation and hydration, extrusion, pulsed jetting, double emulsion templating, ice droplet hydration, transient membrane ejection, droplet emulsion transfer and hydrodynamic focusing [ 64 ].…”

Merits and advances of microfluidics in the pharmaceutical field: design technologies and future prospects

“…The staggered herringbone micromixer accomplishes this sequence of local flows by changing the shape of the grooves as a function of axial location in the channel, where the middle sites are swapped between half-cycles by changing the orientation of the herringbones. Ridges are located on the channel floor at an oblique angle of θ, with respect to the long axis (y), to produce transverse flows in microchannels using a steady axial pressure gradient ( Figure 2(C) ) (Carvalho et al., 2022 ).…”

Lipid-Based Nanocarrier Systems for Drug Delivery: Advances and Applications

“…136 As we all know, the lipid structure can be used as delivery vehicles for a wide range of drugs and genetic materials because of their biocompatibility, safety, high drug loading, and capability to simultaneously carry imaging agents and ligands as well. 137,138 To combine the advantages of both classes of nanocarriers, a paramount focus has been shifted Lipid-Based Nanocarrier System for Drug Delivery Zhao et al e52…”

“…As we all know, the lipid structure can be used as delivery vehicles for a wide range of drugs and genetic materials because of their biocompatibility, safety, high drug loading, and capability to simultaneously carry imaging agents and ligands as well. 137 138 To combine the advantages of both classes of nanocarriers, a paramount focus has been shifted toward an exploration of hybrid lipid–inorganic nanomaterials. 138 These core–shell type lipid-coated nanoparticle systems, which provide the most prominent advantages of both liposomes such as biocompatibility and polymeric/inorganic nanoparticles such as mechanic properties, offer a new approach to cancer treatment.…”