Hidrolisados proteicos possuem propriedades terapêuticas e são absorvidos mais facilmente pelo organismo quando comparados às proteínas, no entanto sua aplicação em alimentos é dificultada por serem higroscópicos, reativos e apresentarem gosto amargo. A microencapsulação por spray chilling pode ser uma alternativa para solucionar essas limitações. Este método de encapsulação consiste na atomização de uma mistura, formada pela dispersão ou emulsão do material ativo com o carreador fundido, em uma câmara com temperatura inferior ao ponto de fusão do carreador, que nessas condições solidifica, formando micropartículas esféricas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi elaborar micropartículas de hidrolisado de proteína de soja utilizando o método de spray chilling e gordura vegetal (PF 51°C) como carreador. Foram realizados ensaios para obtenção das micropartículas avaliando a alimentação por emulsão e dispersãoe diferentes formulações variando a proporção material ativo:encapsulante (1:5 e 1:10), velocidades de rotação no ultra-turrax (6000 e 8000 rpm) e três diferentes temperaturas (60, 70 e 80°C), totalizando dezoito tratamentos. As misturas foram submetidas à análise reológica para determinação de viscosidade e após serem atomizadas em spray chiller as micropartículas obtidas foram caracterizadas por FTIR, Difração de Raio-X, distribuição e tamanho médio por difração a laser e morfologia por microscopia eletrônica de varredura e confocal. Foram obtidas micropartículas lipídicas sólidas esféricas e aglomeradas, o tamanho médio variou de 53,06 ± 2,17 µm e 68,03 ± 14,07 µm, sem diferenças significativas entre os tratamentos. Partículas obtidas pela atomização da emulsão apresentaram poros, todavia exibiram maior capacidade de carregamento do hidrolisado, cerca de 96%, enquanto as obtidas por dispersão apresentaram 54%. Variações durante o preparo da emulsão não proporcionaram alterações na morfologia e tamanho de partícula nas micropartículas, apesar de terem tido influência sobre as propriedades reológicas do sistema. A análise de difração de raios-X indicou que as micropartículas após 90 dias de preparo apresentaram a estrutura na forma polimórfica mais estável. A espectroscopia na região do infravermelho (FTIR) revelou que não ocorreu interação entre os ingredientes independentemente do modo de preparo das micropartículas. Tais resultados demonstram que a técnica de spray chilling é eficiente na microencapsulação de hidrolisado proteico de soja, possibilitando uma futura aplicação em alimentos. / Protein hydrolysates possess therapeutic properties and absorption easier than to proteins; however its application in food is limited due to its bitter taste, hygroscopic and reactivity. Encapsulation byspray chilling could be an alternative to minimize these limitations. This method consists in the atomization of a mixture formed by the dispersion or emulsion of the active material with the molten carrier, into an environment with temperature below the melting point of the carrier, under these conditions it solidifies to form spherical microparticles. The aim of this work was to develop microparticles loaded with hydrolyzed soy protein using the method of spray chilling and vegetable fat (PF 51°C) as carrier. Tests were conducted to obtain microparticles evaluating the feed by emulsion and dispersion and different formulations by varying the proportions active materials:carrier (1:5 and 1:10), homogenization speed by Ultra-Turrax (6000 and 8000 rpm) and temperature (60, 70 and 80°C ), totaling eighteen treatments. The mixtures were subjected to rheological analysis for determination of viscosity and after being atomized at spray chiller obtained microparticles were characterized by infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, particle size distribution and mean diameter measured using a laser light diffraction instrument and morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal microscopy. Solid lipid microparticles obtained were spherical and agglomerated the average size between 53.06 ± 2.17 µm and 68.03 ± 14.07 µm, there was no significant difference between formulations. Particles obtained by atomization of emulsion had presence of pores, but exhibited a higher loading capacity of the hydrolyzed, about 96%, while that obtained by dispersion had 54%. Changes during the preparation of the emulsion no provided changes at morphology and particle size of the microparticles, despite having influence on the rheological properties of the system. The analysis of X-ray diffraction showed that the microparticles after 90 days of storage had β polymorphic form. The infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed that there was no interaction between the ingredients regardless of the mode of preparation of the microparticles. These results demonstrate that the technique spray chilling is efficient in microencapsulation of soy protein hydrolyzate, allowing future use in foods.

No description available.

No description available.

Ce travail porte sur le développement de systèmes d’encapsulation à base de polysaccharides et de molécules antimicrobiennes de nature protéique comme le lysozyme du blanc d’œuf et la nisine produite par la bactérie Lactococcus lactis. La coacervation complexe de l’alginate ou la pectine (deux polysaccharides anioniques) avec le lysozyme ou la nisine, chargés positivement sur une large gamme de pH, serait une solution pour protéger ces molécules et assurer une libération contrôlée lors de la conservation d’un aliment. Les polysaccharides utilisés ont été choisis en fonction de leur sensibilité aux enzymes produites par les bactéries cibles. L’ensemble des travaux menés à différentes échelles a mis en évidence (i) le rôle de certains facteurs physico-chimiques (ratio, pH, force ionique,…) sur les interactions mises en jeu entre le lysozyme ou la nisine et l’alginate ou la pectine, (ii) l’influence de ces facteurs sur les propriétés des complexes formés et (iii) le rôle des polysaccharides sélectionnés dans la stabilisation de la structure du lysozyme ou de la nisine lors du séchage par atomisation. Enfin, la structure et l’activité antimicrobienne des films obtenus par voie solvant (casting) et des microcapsules obtenues par atomisation sont étudiées en relation avec les propriétés des complexes formés. Ce travail a permis une meilleure compréhension des mécanismes impliqués dans la formation des complexes peptides/polysaccharides ou protéines/polysaccharides, leur résistance au séchage par atomisation ainsi que leur capacité à protéger et à libérer des molécules actives / This work deals with the development of encapsulation systems based on polysaccharides and antimicrobial molecules of protein nature such as hen egg-white lysozyme and nisin produced by Lactococcus lactis. Complex coacervation of alginate or pectin (two anionic polysaccharides) with lysozyme or nisin, positively charged over a wide range of pH, would be a solution to protect these molecules and ensure their controlled release during food preservation. The used polysaccharides were chosen according to their sensitivity to the enzymes produced by the targeted bacteria. The whole of this work performed at various levels showed (i) the impact of some physicochemical factors (ratio, pH, ionic strength,…) on the interactions between lysozyme or nisin and alginate or pectin, (ii) the influence of these factors on the properties of the formed complexes, and (iii) the role of the selected polysaccharides in stabilizing the structure of lysozyme or nisin during spray-drying. Finally, the structure and the antimicrobial activity of films produced by casting and microcapsules obtained by spray-drying were studied in relation to the properties of the formed complexes. This work makes it possible to contribute to a better understanding of the various mechanisms implied in the formation of peptide/polysaccharide or protein/polysaccharide complexes, their resistance to spray-drying and their ability to protect and release active molecules

L'objectif de ce travail de thèse consiste en l'étude de l'encapsulation, par des procédés d'atomisation, d'un adhésif sensible à la pression se présentant sous la forme d'une émulsion aqueuse. Des microparticules de diamètres moyens inférieurs à 50 μm et à base d'éthylcellulose plastifiée ont été élaborées par spray-drying ; la proportion d'adhésif incorporé a pu atteindre 25% en masse. L'encapsulation a également été réalisée par spraycooling avec des matières d'enrobage fusibles, notamment avec une huile de palme totalement hydrogénée. Un plan de criblage a été réalisé et a permis d'identifier des conditions optimales avec 50% d'adhésif et 2% d'un tensioactif lipophile : des tailles équivalentes aux précédentes et une adhésion maximale de l'ordre de 6 N après rupture des particules ont été obtenues. Le polymorphisme relatif aux matières grasses a été mis en évidence et des analyses couplées ont permis de mettre au point un traitement thermique adéquat pour s'en affranchir. Des tests de résistance mécaniques de microparticules unitaires de diamètres inférieures à 20 μm ont été menés et ont montré pour les deux types de particules des niveaux de forces de rupture de quelques centaines de micronewtons et une relation quasi linéaire entre ces forces et les tailles de particules / The aim of this work was to microencapsulate a water-based pressure sensitive adhesive by mechanical methods based on atomization. Microparticles having a mean diameter inferior to 50 μm have been produced by spray-drying with a wall material made up of plastified ethylcellulose; the proportion of adhesive incorporated reached 25% w/w. Besides, the microencapsulation of the adhesive was achieved by spray-cooling with fusible wall materials. A totally hydrogenated palm oil was especially selected. An experimental screening design was carried out: optimal formulation conditions were identified, namely 50% adhesive and 2% of a lipophilic emulsifier. Mean diameter size of the microparticles collected was equivalent to the spray-dried one and their adhesive forces reached 6 N after crushing. Polymorphism inherent in fats subjected to quenching was brought to light and coupled analyses enabled to set an appropriate thermal treatment to overcome it. Mechanical tests performed on unitary microparticles having diameters inferior to 20 μm and elaborated by both spray methods revealed that the order of magnitude of the crushing forces was about few hundreds micronewtons and the forces raised almost linearly with the particles size

The process of micro-encapsulation by emulsifying a solution in a stirred tank has been accepted as the most suitable method for the production of microcapsules for carbonless copy paper and is currently used by Mondi Paper in Merebank. The focus of this project was to obtain a more uniform size distribution of the microcapsules so that oversize capsules would not smudge when they are coated on paper. There was also concern that the formation of very small ink/oil droplets was consuming wall material unnecessarily and was not contributing to the formation of an image on paper. The reduction of these tiny droplets would result in a saving of the cost of the wall material. Mondi currently produces microcapsules with an average diameter between 4 and 5 microns. The amount of capsules produced above 10 microns, the oversize, is less than 1 per cent (v/v) and the amount of capsules produced below 2 microns, the undersize, is between 25 and 30 per cent. Mondi wishes to reduce the amount of undersize capsules, thereby producing a narrower size distribution. This could result in large savings, as discussed above. It could also lead to the production of a six-sheet set of carbonless papers instead of the four-sheet set, which is currently produced. The production of microcapsules by emulsification was investigated in a 2.5-1iter laboratory tank, using an impeller measuring 45 mm in diameter. A range of agitation speeds was investigated and it was seen that at the lowest speed that formed emulsions, 6600 rpm, 15.03 per cent of undersize capsules was produced and an average capsule diameter of 7.57 microns, after 40 minutes of agitation. At the highest impeller speed, 8000 rpm, the average capsule diameter was reduced to 1.93 microns and 67.02 per cent of undersize capsules were classified as "undersize". No oversize capsules were observed. These capsule specifications were not favourable. Further experimentation showed that at 7500 rpm, an average capsule diameter of 5.12 microns and an undersize of 24.20 per cent were observed. The proportion of oversize capsules was 1.63 per cent. Since these results were similar to the results obtained from the plant, 7500 rpm was used accepted as the "standard" speed for the experiments. A reduction in the impeIler speed from 7500 rpm to 7200 rpm after the first 20 minutes of emulsification was one· way on reducing the proportion of undersize particles further. The proportion of undersize particles was reduced from 20.20 per cent to 19.71 per cent at standard conditions. The average capsule diameter and the oversize were not affected significantly. The effect of the emulsification temperature on the particle size distribution was investigated with temperatures ranging from 22 to 40°C, in increments of 2 QC. A temperature of 30 °c was used as a standard temperature as this temperature was being used at the plant. A decrease in the proportion of undersize capsules to 17.12 per cent was seen at temperatures below 30°C and an average of 23.87 per cent was noticed above 30 QC. Although the proportion of undersize capsules decreased, the average capsule diameter increased beyond the specified range to an average of 7.77 microns at temperatures below 30°C. At temperatures above 30 °c the average size was reduced to 5.59 microns. Hence the selection 000 °c as the optimum temperature was confirmed. Experimentation with the emulsification time showed that there were times when a unimodal size distribution was produced. However, these were at times just after the polymerisation had begun, and the reaction was not complete at this stage. A bimodal distribution was always noticed after 40 minutes of emulsification, i.e. after the completion of the reaction. The effects of the baffle widths on the microcapsules were also investigated. Baffle sizes of 5, 10 and 15 mm were used. It was shown that with an increase in baffle width, there was a decrease in the amount of undersize capsules produced. However, the average capsule diameter became too large. A baffle width of 5 mm was shown to produce desirable capsule sizes, although the undersize did not improve, or worsen. Too much of air was trapped in the emulsion when no baffles were used in the tank. Alternatives to the current surfactant, called "Lupasol" were tested so that Mondi could produce the capsules independently instead of relying on the original raw material supplier. This investigation was done based on limited informa.tion on Lupasol. Results from these experiments were inconclusive since more data on Lupasol was required. Samples of the microcapsule emulsion were sent to different companies, in South Africa and abroad, to determine whether the particle size analyser used at Mondi was giving correct results. The results obtained from the companies in South Africa differed by a small amount from that measured at Mondi. However, results obtained from companies abroad varied considerably and it is recommended that Mondi change their particle analyser settings. The power absorbed by the emulsion, in the laboratory-scale equipment was also found. This was determined by monitoring torque. The power was found to be 141.97 Wand the power number was calculated as 0.357. It was noted that the power per unit volume in the laboratory equipment was significantly higher than the plant data (47 kW/m3 vs. 12 kW/m3). The design of the impeller was not changed but the effect of baffle spacing was investigated. / Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

Os sistemas de liberação de fármacos são parte integrante da investigação farmacêutica. Grande ênfase tem sido dada à utilização de polímeros hidrofílicos naturais como carreadores devido às vantagens inerentes a seu baixo custo, biocompatibilidade e segurança de uso. Os objetivos principais deste trabalho foram a preparação e avaliação de sistemas microparticulados a base de pectina e caseína e o estudo da liberação in vitro do aciclovir contido nas micropartículas. Esses sistemas visam uma liberação prolongada do fármaco aumentando sua biodisponibilidade oral. O efeito de parâmetros como pH, força iônica, viscosidade, proporção e concentração total de polímeros foi avaliado. A melhor condição para ocorrência da coacervação foi determinada por mobilidade eletroforética, rendimento do coacervado e microscopia ótica. A pectina e a caseína podem interagir formando complexos insolúveis. A formação do complexo coacervado foi espontânea e ocorreu em condições brandas no intervalo de pH em que os polímeros encontram-se carregados com cargas opostas. As dispersões foram secas em Spray dryer, resultando em partículas bastante pequenas (6µm) e homogêneas. Através da microscopia ótica foi possível observar que o fármaco se encontrava no interior das micropartículas. O pH (4,0-5,0) do meio influenciou decididamente a formação dos complexos coacervados, e a melhor relação mássica para o par pectina/caseína foi 1:1. Proporções superiores ou inferiores reduziram significativamente a extensão da coacervação. O aumento no teor de sólidos totais (4-8% p/v) bem como a adição de sal (0-120 mMol) não suprimiu a formação ou a estabilidade do sistema. Foram preparadas matrizes hidrofílicas contendo as micropartículas encapsuladas com aciclovir. O estudo de dissolução in vitro demonstrou que a liberação do aciclovir foi mais lenta nos sistemas matriciais e microparticulados do que a do fármaco livre. Entretanto, as matrizes apresentaram perfis de liberação sustentada mais adequados do que os sistemas microparticulados. / Drug delivery systems became an integral part of pharmaceutical research. The use of natural hydrophilic polymers as drug carriers has received considerable attention in the last few years, especially from the viewpoint of cost, environmental concerns and safety. The main purpose of this study was to report and discuss the preparation of a microparticulate system by mixing the negatively charged pectin and the amphoteric casein and also the in vitro evaluation of polymeric microparticulate systems loaded with acyclovir. Such drug delivery system was conceived to prolong the therapeutic activity of acyclovir and increase its oral biovailability.The influence of pH, total biopolymers concentration, viscosity of dispersions, pectin/casein ratio and ionic strength were reported. Zeta potential measurements and dry coacervate yield were used to determine the optimal conditions for complex coacervation and were supplemented by optical microscopy. Pectin/casein in aqueous mixture may interact and form insoluble complexes. The complex formation was spontaneous and occurs under mild conditions. The phenomenon of complex coacervation mainly occurs at a pH range when both polyelectrolytes carry opposite charges. Microparticulate preparations were spray dried and results showed that the microparticles obtained were always quite small, the diameters of 80% of the particles did not exceed 6m, and physicochemical characterization showed that the drug was homogeneously dispersed inside the microparticles. Pectin/casein ratio and pH range were found to mainly affect the microparticles formation and encapsulation efficiency. The complex coacervation was dependent on pH (4,0-5,0) and the optimum pectin/casein ratio was 1:1. Superior or inferior proportion significantly decreased the coacervate yield. Increasing in total biopolymer concentration (4-8% w/v) and salt addition (0-120 mMol) did not inhibit the formation and stability of pectin/casein systems. Hydrophilic matrices containing acyclovir loaded microparticles were also prepared. The in vitro dissolution profile of acyclovir from the microparticulate systems and matrices were slower than that for the free drug. However, the sustained release characteristic was more prominent in matrices than in microparticles formulations

A utilização de bioativos naturais como ingredientes está em constante expansão na indústria alimentícia, devido ao aumento das exigências pelos consumidores por alimentos mais saudáveis. Por isso, há uma busca constante de tecnologias que possibilitem a incorporação de tais substâncias em alimentos. O β-caroteno é uma substância hidrofóbica, cujos benefícios estão relacionados principalmente à sua ação antioxidante. Devido à sua característica hidrofóbica, a utilização deste pigmento implica em desafios tecnológicos para ser incorporado em formulações alimentícias de base aquosa. Por este motivo, a encapsulação em lipossomas pode ser uma ótima alternativa, devido à capacidade de englobar tais substâncias em sua bicamada lipídica. Além da proteção, essas matrizes encapsulantes podem proporcionar a liberação controlada dos ingredientes encapsulados, bem como aumento de sua biodisponibilidade. O objetivo deste trabalho foi produzir e caracterizar dispersões de lipossomas encapsulando β-caroteno estabilizadas com a adição de hidrocolóides(goma xantana ou mistura de goma xantana e goma guar). O diâmetro médio hidrodinâmico, a distribuição de tamanho das partículas e a morfologia foram avaliadas. Os lipossomas produzidos foram vesículas multilamelares (MLV), as distribuições de tamanho dos lipossomas apresentaram-se heterogêneas e as micrografias revelaram a forma esférica dos lipossomas dispersos no meio aquoso, assim como a integridade da sua bicamada lipídica. Foram realizadas análises de quantificação do β-caroteno e colorimetria instrumental, sendo que todas as dispersões mostraram-se eficientes na preservação do β-caroteno ao longo do período de armazenamento. Os hidrocolóides adicionados foram eficazes no aumento da viscosidade da fase contínua, evitando a agregação das vesículas ao longo do tempo, exceto para dispersão estabilizada com a mistura de goma xantana e goma guar, com 0,15% de goma total. Em relação à adição das dispersões de lipossomas em iogurte, as formulações mostraram-se homogêneas, com ausência de grumos ou qualquer tipo de separação de fases, e também foram aprovados por uma parcela de painelistas na análise sensorial. / The use of natural bioactives as ingredients is in constant expansion in the food industry, due to increasing consumer demands for healthier foods. Therefore, there is a constant search for technologies capable of incorporating such substances in food. β-carotene is a hydrophobic substance, whose benefits are mainly related to its antioxidant action. Because of its hydrophobic characteristics, the use of this pigment implies technical challenges to be incorporated into aqueous-based food formulations. For this reason, encapsulation in liposomes may be a good alternative, because of their ability to incorporate such substances in their lipid bilayer. Besides the protection, these encapsulants matrix can provide controlled release of the encapsulated ingredients, as well as increasing its bioavailability. The objective of this study was to produce and characterize dispersions of liposomes encapsulating β-carotene, which were stabilized with the addition of hydrocolloids: xanthan gum or a mixture of xanthan gum and guar gum. The mean hydrodynamic diameter, distribution of particle size and its morphology were studied. The obtained dispersions were multilamellar vesicles (MLV), the liposomes size distributions were heterogeneous and the micrographs revealed the liposomes spherical shape dispersed in aqueous medium, as well as the integrity of their lipid bilayer. The quantification of β-carotene and instrumental colorimetry analyses indicated the liposomes were efficient in the preservation of β-carotene during the storage period. The hydrocolloids added in the dispersions were highly efficient to increase the viscosity of the continuous phase. Therefore, the hydrocolloids were responsible for the prevention of aggregation of the vesicles during the storage period, except for stabilized dispersion with the mixture of xanthan gum and guar gum, with 0.15% gum total. Regarding the dispersions of liposomes added in yoghurt, the formulations were homogeneous, with absence of lumps or any phase separation, and also have been approved by a significant number of the panelists.

Misturas aquosas de polissacarídeos e proteínas são normalmente instáveis e separam-se em fases devido às interações repulsivas ou atrativas existentes entre os polímeros. O efeito da temperatura, do pH e da concentração polimérica no comportamento de misturas de pectina/caseína foi estudado nesse trabalho. Um diagrama de fases construído em pH 7 revelou que a mistura é estável apenas em baixas concentrações. Concentrações mais elevadas levam à incompatibilidade termodinâmica, governada por forças puramente entrópicas, e ao aparecimento de duas fases: uma rica em caseína (inferior) e outra rica em pectina (superior). A decomposição espinodal pôde ser visualizada nos estágios iniciais da separação de fases e, nos estágios intermediários, observou-se a formação de emulsões água/água. Quando o pH dessas emulsões é reduzido para abaixo de 6, a pectina é atraída para a fase de caseína, resultando na formação de partículas de complexo pectina/caseína que não coalescem e são resistentes à adição de sal (NaCl 100 mM), apresentando um diâmetro médio aproximado de 4 m. As micropartículas de pectina/caseína produzidas por este método demonstraram ser capazes de encapsular com alta eficiência tanto substâncias hidrofóbicas quanto hidrofílicas, possibilitando sua aplicação na encapsulação de compostos variados para fins diversos. Neste trabalho, as micropartículas foram utilizadas para encapsular cristais de metronidazol e sua utilização na obtenção de filmes de aplicação intra-bolsa periodontal foi avaliada in vitro. As dispersões de pectina/caseína contendo as micropartículas carregadas foram submetidas à secagem para a obtenção dos filmes. Estes, reticulados ou não com cálcio, sustentaram a liberação in vitro do fármaco por pelo menos 7 dias in vitro. A reticulação foi importante para reduzir a desintegração dos filmes, contribuindo para aumentar o tempo de permanência deles no local de aplicação e para melhorar suas propriedades mecânicas, facilitando seu manuseio e inserção na bolsa periodontal. Com esses resultados, conclui-se que os filmes de micropartículas de complexo pectina/caseína contendo metronidazol desenvolvidos neste trabalho são excelentes candidatos a sistemas de liberação local para o tratamento da doença periodontal. / Aqueous mixtures of polysaccharides and proteins are usually unstable and phase-separate either because of repulsive or attractive interactions. The effect of temperature, pH, and biopolymer concentration on the phase behavior of pectin/casein mixtures was investigated. A phase diagram built at pH 7 revealed that the mixture is stable at low polymer concentrations. Higher concentrations lead to thermodynamic incompatibility, driven purely by entropic forces, and to the appearance of two phases: one enriched with casein (lower) and the other, with pectin (upper). Spinodal decomposition was visualized in the early stages of phase separation. In the intermediate stages, water-in-water emulsions were observed. When the pH of these emulsions was lowered below 6, pectin was attracted by casein-rich phase, resulting in the formation of particles (diameter ~ 4 m) of pectin/casein complex, which do not coalesce and are insensitive to salt addition (100 mM NaCl). Pectin/casein microparticles obtained by this method were able to encapsulate with high efficiency either hydrophobic or hydrophilic substances and, due to that, could be applied in the encapsulation of a great variety of compounds for different purposes. In this work, the pectin/casein microparticles were used to encapsulate metronidazole crystals and the preparation of intra-periodontal pocket films with them was evaluated. Therefore, dispersions of loaded pectin/casein microparticles were dried in an oven. Films cross-linked or not with calcium sustained the in vitro drug release at least for 7 days. The cross-linking with calcium was important to reduce film disintegration, accounting for its permanence in the applied region, and to improve the mechanical properties, which facilitates manipulation and insertion into the periodontal pocket. With these results we conclude that the films formed by microparticles of pectin/casein complex loaded with metronidazole are excellent candidates for local drug delivery systems for the treatment of periodontal disease.

Usability of many chemical substances with significant potential for biomedical applications is limited by their poor solubility in water or limited stability in the physiological environment. One of promising strategies for therapeutic targeted delivery of these types of substances into cells and tissues is their encapsulation inside polyelectrolyte microcapsules (Volodkin et al., 2004b, Sukhorukov et al., 1998b). Successful internalisation of microcapsules loaded with various macromolecules have been observed in several types of living cells (Javier et al., 2008, Kastl et al., 2013), however the mechanisms of the uptake of capsules by living cells are not yet fully understood. Detailed understanding of physico-chemical and mechanical interactions between capsules and living cells is required for specific targeting, effective delivery, and elimination of any potential toxic side effects. This has been largely limited by capabilities of available imaging techniques and lack of specific fluorescent markers for certain types of cellular uptake. The rate of internalisation of microcapsules was primarily studied at the level of cell population using conventional optical/fluorescence microscopy, confocal microscopy, and flow cytometry (Gao et al., 2016, Ai et al., 2005, Sun et al., 2015). These conventional fluorescence methods are known to be prone to overestimating the number of internalised capsules due to their limited capability to exclude capsules which were not fully internalised and remained attached to the cell surface (Javier et al., 2006). Experimental evidence with resolution high enough to resolve the fine membrane processes interacting with microcapsules has been limited to fixed samples imaged by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (Kastl et al., 2013) capturing randomly timed "snapshots" of what is likely to be highly dynamic and complex interaction. Physical force interactions between cellular membrane and capsules during the internalisation were suggested to cause buckling of capsules based on indirect evidence obtained using fluorescence microscopy in live cells 15 (Palankar et al., 2013) and separate measurements of capsule deformation under colloidal probe atomic force microscopy (AFM) outside of the cellular environment (Delcea et al., 2010, Dubreuil et al., 2003). However, our knowledge of the mechanical properties of the fine membrane structures directly involved in the internalisation process or how these structures form during the internalisation is very limited, if non-existent. Here we employ a different approach based on a high-resolution scanning probe technique called scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM). SICM uses reduction in ionic current through the probe represented by an electrolyte-filled glass nanopipette immersed in saline solution to detect proximity of sample surface (Hansma et al., 1989, Korchev et al., 1997a). The technique has been previously used for high-resolution scanning of biological samples of complexity similar to what can be expected in case of microcapsules interacting with cells (Novak et al., 2014, Novak et al., 2009), and also for mapping mechanical properties at high resolution (Ossola et al., 2015, Rheinlaender and Schaffer, 2013). It has been proved to be able to visualise internalisation process of 200 nm carboxy-modified latex nanoparticles (Novak et al., 2014), however it is not clear whether it would be suitable for visualising internalisation of substantially larger, microscale-sized particles. The aim of this research was to visualize the live internalisation process of microcapsules entering cells by using SICM. The first two chapters of this thesis are introduction and literature review, which summarise the current state of the art. Chapter 3 states the aim and objectives of this study. Chapter 4 introduces the materials and methods we used in our research. Chapter 5, 6, 7 present the main findings of our research. Chapter 5 states the challenges we met in visualising the live internalisation of microcapsule as well as our solution for overcoming those challenges. At the end of that chapter, we describe the detailed procedure we used for recording the live internalisation of microcapsules. The results we got using this procedure are presented in chapter 6 and 7. In chapter 8, we discuss the results we found by comparing them to the results of previous research. In chapter 9, we summarise our study and give some suggestions on future work.