Table 1.

Summary table of preparation technology and application of microspheres.

Preparative ​technique	Merits	Demerits	Application	Microsphere-drug ​combination	Ref.
Emulsion-solidication	Large-scale production, simple operation	Wide particle size	Oncotherapy Neuralrepair	1.TPP/chitosan/PLGA-NGF Microspheres 2.5-Fluorouracil loaded biodegradable magnetic Microspheres 3.Polysaccharidebased porous microsphere (PPM)	[88,188,189]
Microfluidics	Unique analytical performance, smaller volume, good monodispersity	Low production efficiency	Oncotherapy	5-Fu loaded CS microspheres	[30,35]
Mold method	Low cost, simple operation	Complex synthesis process	Protein separation	Monodisperse porous silica microspheres	[58,62,63]
Microfluidic electrospray	Uniform size and good monodispersity	Low production efficiency	Skin wounds	Novel drug-loaded methacryloyl chondroitin sulfate (CSMA) microspheres	[67, 196]
Spray drying	Simple and stable	Limited range of polymers	Gastropathy	Chitosan-based microspheres	[75]
Self-assembly method	Simple production technology, mild reaction conditions, and suitability for hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs	Size and monodispersity need to be improved	Oncotherapy	Paclitaxel-loaded silk fibroin nanospheres	[78]
Phase separation method	For water-soluble drugs, easy to prepare in batches	Difficult to remove organic solvents	Arthritis	Loaded sPL sustained-release microspheres	[206]
Membrane emulsification method	Particle size uniformity, mild conditions, simple equipment and energy saving	Small dispersion flux, low production efficiency	The organic-inorganic hybrid composites	Biopolymer-inorganic hybrid microspheres	[87]