Microfluidic Flow-Focusing for Size-Controlled Formation of Cubosomes.

ABSTRACT: Cubosomes─colloidal dispersions of lipid inverted bicontinuous cubic phases─are promising nanosystems for advanced drug delivery applications. Here, we report on a microfluidic hydrodynamic flow-focusing approach for solvent exchange that enables the preparation of cubosomes with tunable size. The approach involves a preliminary step where the lipid phytantriol, the main building block, is first dissolved in ethanol to create a precursor solution. This precursor is subsequently flowed through the central channel of a cross-shaped microfluidic device, where it is focused by two lateral streams of water containing the stabilizer Pluronic F127. As water and ethanol mix, the polarity shift forces phytantriol to self-assemble into cubosomes, while the laminar-flow conditions imposed by the micr

SUBMITTER: Ferreira CJO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12573805 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature