Fabrication and Characterization of Amoxicillin Loaded PLA Microspheres for Intra-Oral Application in Extraction Sockets: A Descriptive Study

Abstract

The use of localized drug delivery systems in oral and maxillofacial surgery has gained attention due to their ability to deliver site-specific, sustained therapeutic concentrations of antibiotics, thereby reducing systemic side effects and improving patient outcomes. This is particularly valuable in managing post-extraction infections and promoting healing within surgical sites such as extraction sockets or periodontal pockets. Biodegradable microspheres composed of polymers like poly-lactic acid (PLA) and its copolymer PLGA (poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid) are widely recognized for their biocompatibility, ease of fabrication, and FDA approval for various medical applications. PLA microspheres degrade via hydrolysis into lactic acid, a metabolite naturally eliminated through the Krebs cycle, thus eliminating the need for surgical removal of the carrier. These microspheres allow sustained release of encapsulated agents over several days to weeks, depending on particle size, polymer molecular weight, drug-polymer interactions, and degradation behaviour. Amoxicillin-loaded PLA microspheres fabricated using a double emulsion solvent evaporation technique demonstrate excellent physicochemical characteristics, including high encapsulation efficiency, sustained release over 5 days, optimal particle size, and favorable thermal and morphological profiles. These properties support their potential use in managing local infections in oral surgical sites such as post-extraction sockets. Further studies involving in vitro antimicrobial assays, cytocompatibility on oral fibroblasts, and in vivo assessments in animal models are warranted before clinical translation.