Sonochemical synthesis of liquid-encapsulated lysozyme microspheres

Liquid-encapsulated lysozyme microspheres were successfully synthesized using a sonochemical method. The encapsulation of four different liquids, namely, sunflower oil, tetradecane, dodecane and perfluorohexane on the formation, stability and morphology of the lysozyme microspheres was studied. Among the four different liquids used for encapsulation, perfluorohexane-filled microspheres were found to be most stable in the dried state with a narrow size distribution. In order to explore the possibility of encapsulating biofunctional molecules (e.g., drugs) within these microspheres, liquids containing a fluorescent dye (Nile red) were encapsulated and the ultrasound-induced release of these dye-loaded liquids was studied. The fluorescence data for the liquid-filled lysozyme microspheres demonstrated the potential use of the sonochemical technique for synthesizing these vehicles for the encapsulation and the controlled delivery of dyes, flavours, fragrances or drugs. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.