Controlled release systems for proteins based on gelatin microspheres

The preparation and characterization of biodegradable gelatin microspheres for the controlled release of peptides and proteins has been investigated. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) was chosen for incorporation into the gelatin microspheres and the spheres were characterized for the in vitro release of BSA and other properties. BSA was labelled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) for easy analysis. FITC-BSA was entrapped into the gelatin microspheres using a polymer dispersion technique developed in our earlier studies. The morphological characteristics of microspheres were analysed by optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The optical and SEM photographs of FITC-BSA microspheres showed the solid spherical nature of the spheres. The entrapment efficiency of FITC-BSA was about 62%. The in vitro release pattern of FITC-BSA showed that 51% of the entrapped drug was released during the first day and the release followed approximate zero order kinetics from day 2 onwards. The total release of FITC-BSA lasted for about 8 days. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed that BSA was not degraded by this preparation of microspheres.