Ginseng Encapsulated in Poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) Microcapsules for Cardiovascular Application

Panax ginseng has a potential to enhance the growth of vascular endothelial cells and to suppress the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells. These capabilities have captured our interest to encapsulate ginseng within poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microcapsules by a double emulsion technique for cardiovascular application. The microcapsules were characterized by using ATR-FTIR, SEM and imageJ software. The ginseng was successfully encapsulated within the PLGA microcapsules with the appearance of O--H and C=C bands which attributed to the chemical functionality of ginseng. Spherical morphology and smooth wall surface of microcapsules were found on both samples with lower diameter of microcapsules for the ginseng encapsulated PLGA microcapsules compared to the PLGA microcapsules. The encapsulation of ginseng inside PLGA microcapsules will be beneficial for further clinical development in cardiovascular treatment and therapeutic such as drug delivery, coating and casting materials.