Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (671 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Small uniformly-sized spherical particles, of micrometer dimensions, frequently labeled with radioisotopes or various reagents acting as tags or markers.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Microsphere; Microbeads; Microbead; Latex Beads; Bead, Latex; Beads, Latex; Latex Bead; Latex Particles.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Equipment and Supplies
- See also
- Enzymes, Immobilized; Microbubbles; Microplastics
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 33,368 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Microspheres” (counts retrieved 2026-11-04). 5,063 of them (15.2%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2010-2019 with 9,985 records.
Reviews account for 1,414 records (4.2%) and meta-analyses for 25. Randomized controlled trials number 234 (0.7%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 9,071 |
| 2000-2009 | 9,249 |
| 2010-2019 | 9,985 |
| 2020 onward | 5,063 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 1,414 | 4.2% |
| Meta-analyses | 25 | 0.1% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 234 | 0.7% |
Method: PubMed query "Microspheres"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-11-04.
Reading the evidence in diagnostics and medical technology
A test or device is judged by how well it detects a condition, how often it gives false alarms or misses cases, and whether using it improves outcomes for people. Accuracy depends on who is tested and how common the condition is, so a test that performs well in a specialist hospital can perform differently in the community. Check the reference standard, the population studied, the sensitivity and specificity and whether results were confirmed in a separate group.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLGA-based biodegradable microspheres in drug delivery: recent advances in research and application | 2021 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 409 | cc by PMID 34184949 · DOI · PMC8248937 |
| PLGA/PLA-Based Long-Acting Injectable Depot Microspheres in Clinical Use: Production and Characterization Overview for Protein/Peptide Delivery | 2021 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 125 | cc by PMID 34445587 · DOI · PMC8396256 |
| Quantitative mapping of protein-peptide affinity landscapes using spectrally encoded beads | 2019 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 67 | cc by PMID 31282865 · DOI · PMC6728138 |
| Organic di-selenide hydrogel microspheres for multimodal treatment of osteoarthritis | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 7 | cc by PMID 41634043 · DOI · PMC12976302 |
PLGA-based biodegradable microspheres in drug delivery: recent advances in research and application [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Biodegradable microspheres have been widely used in the field of medicine due to their ability to deliver drug molecules of various properties through multiple pathways and their advantages of low dose and low side effects.
- Closing excerpt
- Finally, this review summarizes the application of PLGA microspheres in drug delivery and the treatment of pulmonary and ocular-related diseases.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (171 words)
Biodegradable microspheres have been widely used in the field of medicine due to their ability to deliver drug molecules of various properties through multiple pathways and their advantages of low dose and low side effects. Poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) copolymer (PLGA) is one of the most widely used biodegradable material currently and has good biocompatibility. In application, PLGA with a specific monomer ratio (lactic acid and glycolic acid) can be selected according to the properties of drug molecules and the requirements of the drug release rate. PLGA-based biodegradable microspheres have been studied in the field of drug delivery, including the delivery of various anticancer drugs, protein or peptide drugs, bacterial or viral DNA, etc. This review describes the basic knowledge and current situation of PLGA biodegradable microspheres and discusses the selection of PLGA polymer materials. Then, the preparation methods of PLGA microspheres are introduced, including emulsification, microfluidic technology, electrospray, and spray drying. Finally, this review summarizes the application of PLGA microspheres in drug delivery and the treatment of pulmonary and ocular-related diseases.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 34184949 · DOI · PMC8248937
PLGA/PLA-Based Long-Acting Injectable Depot Microspheres in Clinical Use: Production and Characterization Overview for Protein/Peptide Delivery [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Over the past few decades, long acting injectable (LAI) depots of polylactide-co-glycolide (PLGA) or polylactic acid (PLA) based microspheres have been developed for controlled drug delivery to reduce dosing frequency and to improve the therapeutic effects.
- Closing excerpt
- Furthermore, the physicochemical characteristics of the microsphere formulations are deliberated.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (193 words)
Over the past few decades, long acting injectable (LAI) depots of polylactide-co-glycolide (PLGA) or polylactic acid (PLA) based microspheres have been developed for controlled drug delivery to reduce dosing frequency and to improve the therapeutic effects. Biopharmaceuticals such as proteins and peptides are encapsulated in the microspheres to increase their bioavailability and provide a long release period (days or months) with constant drug plasma concentration. The biodegradable and biocompatible properties of PLGA/PLA polymers, including but not limited to molecular weight, end group, lactide to glycolide ratio, and minor manufacturing changes, could greatly affect the quality attributes of microsphere formulations such as release profile, size, encapsulation efficiency, and bioactivity of biopharmaceuticals. Besides, the encapsulated proteins/peptides are susceptible to harsh processing conditions associated with microsphere fabrication methods, including exposure to organic solvent, shear stress, and temperature fluctuations. The protein/peptide containing LAI microspheres in clinical use is typically prepared by double emulsion, coacervation, and spray drying techniques. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the formulation attributes and conventional manufacturing techniques of LAI microspheres that are currently in clinical use for protein/peptides. Furthermore, the physicochemical characteristics of the microsphere formulations are deliberated.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 34445587 · DOI · PMC8396256
Quantitative mapping of protein-peptide affinity landscapes using spectrally encoded beads [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Transient, regulated binding of globular protein domains to Short Linear Motifs (SLiMs) in disordered regions of other proteins drives cellular signaling.
- Closing excerpt
- The quantitative biophysical data provided by this approach will improve computational modeling efforts, elucidate a broad range of weak protein-SLiM interactions, and revolutionize our understanding of signaling networks.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (149 words)
Transient, regulated binding of globular protein domains to Short Linear Motifs (SLiMs) in disordered regions of other proteins drives cellular signaling. Mapping the energy landscapes of these interactions is essential for deciphering and perturbing signaling networks but is challenging due to their weak affinities. We present a powerful technology (MRBLE-pep) that simultaneously quantifies protein binding to a library of peptides directly synthesized on beads containing unique spectral codes. Using MRBLE-pep, we systematically probe binding of calcineurin (CN), a conserved protein phosphatase essential for the immune response and target of immunosuppressants, to the PxIxIT SLiM. We discover that flanking residues and post-translational modifications critically contribute to PxIxIT-CN affinity and identify CN-binding peptides based on multiple scaffolds with a wide range of affinities. The quantitative biophysical data provided by this approach will improve computational modeling efforts, elucidate a broad range of weak protein-SLiM interactions, and revolutionize our understanding of signaling networks.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 31282865 · DOI · PMC6728138
Organic di-selenide hydrogel microspheres for multimodal treatment of osteoarthritis [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Osteoarthritis (OA) involves multiple pathological processes and presents significant clinical challenges in treatment.
- Closing excerpt
- This approach offers distinct insights for the multimodal treatment of degenerative joint diseases.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (158 words)
Osteoarthritis (OA) involves multiple pathological processes and presents significant clinical challenges in treatment. Traditional therapies focus on individual factors in cartilage, synovium, or subchondral bone, limiting their ability to comprehensively address OA pathogenesis. In this study, a ROS/MMP13 dual-responsive organic selenium hydrogel microsphere (HSPHR) is developed to trigger a localized microenvironmental response specific to early OA by exploiting the disease's pathological features. Simultaneously, the organic selenium component effectively enhances selenoprotein levels in cartilage, synovium, and subchondral bone, enabling multimodal treatment for osteoarthritis. HSPHR injections into joints reduce cartilage damage, synovial hyperplasia, and bone sclerosis in post-traumatic OA, while promoting new cartilage in defect models. It enhances selenoprotein synthesis and activates the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway in key cells, improving mitochondrial function and antioxidant capacity, thus reversing OA-related changes. Here, we present a multimodal therapeutic strategy for OA lesions and reveal shared regulatory pathways among different cell types. This approach offers distinct insights for the multimodal treatment of degenerative joint diseases.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41634043 · DOI · PMC12976302
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) for controlled drug delivery - a review of the state of the art [5]
- Research article Nanosuspensions in drug delivery [6]
- Research article Chitosan microspheres as a potential carrier for drugs [7]
- Research article Nano-microparticles as immune adjuvants: correlating particle sizes and the resultant immune responses [8]
- Research article Optical and non-optical methods for detection and characterization of microparticles and exosomes [9]
- Research article Targeting to macrophages: role of physicochemical properties of particulate carriers--liposomes and microspheres--on the phagocytosis by macrophages [10]
Full-text reviews on EvidenceLib
Open-access review articles about this topic, reproduced in full with authors, licence and references.
Microcarriers for Upscaling Cultured Meat Production
Vincent Bodiou, Panagiota Moutsatsou, Mark J. Post · Frontiers in Nutrition 2020 · CC BY 4.0
References
- Su Y, Zhang B, Sun R, Liu W, Zhu Q, Zhang X, et al.. PLGA-based biodegradable microspheres in drug delivery: recent advances in research and application. . 2021. PMID 34184949 · DOI · PMC8248937
- Butreddy A, Gaddam RP, Kommineni N, Dudhipala N, Voshavar C. PLGA/PLA-Based Long-Acting Injectable Depot Microspheres in Clinical Use: Production and Characterization Overview for Protein/Peptide Delivery. . 2021. PMID 34445587 · DOI · PMC8396256
- Nguyen HQ, Roy J, Harink B, Damle NP, Latorraca NR, Baxter BC, et al.. Quantitative mapping of protein-peptide affinity landscapes using spectrally encoded beads. . 2019. PMID 31282865 · DOI · PMC6728138
- Liu Y, Zhang Y, Yu C, Xia X, Kang K, Wu Y, et al.. Organic di-selenide hydrogel microspheres for multimodal treatment of osteoarthritis. . 2026. PMID 41634043 · DOI · PMC12976302
- Müller RH, Mäder K, Gohla S. Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) for controlled drug delivery - a review of the state of the art. Eur J Pharm Biopharm. 2000. PMID 10840199 · DOI
- Rabinow BE. Nanosuspensions in drug delivery. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2004. PMID 15340388 · DOI
- Sinha VR, Singla AK, Wadhawan S, Kaushik R, Kumria R, Bansal K, et al.. Chitosan microspheres as a potential carrier for drugs. Int J Pharm. 2004. PMID 15072779 · DOI
- Oyewumi MO, Kumar A, Cui Z. Nano-microparticles as immune adjuvants: correlating particle sizes and the resultant immune responses. Expert Rev Vaccines. 2010. PMID 20822351 · DOI · PMC2963573
- van der Pol E, Hoekstra AG, Sturk A, Otto C, van Leeuwen TG, Nieuwland R. Optical and non-optical methods for detection and characterization of microparticles and exosomes. J Thromb Haemost. 2010. PMID 20880256 · DOI
- Ahsan F, Rivas IP, Khan MA, Torres Suarez AI. Targeting to macrophages: role of physicochemical properties of particulate carriers--liposomes and microspheres--on the phagocytosis by macrophages. J Control Release. 2002. PMID 11853916 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-11-04; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-11-04.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.