Alzet osmotic pumps (also known as Alzet implantable osmotic pumps) are a tool invented by Alzet in the seventies of the twentieth century for sustained drug release in vivo. Alzet, a drug research and development company, developed the Alzet implantable capsule osmotic pump for in-house and related scientific research for drug testing, but soon after, due to the excellent performance and ease of use of the osmotic pump, the market demand for this implantable capsule osmotic pump gradually increased, so Alzet launched the product as a biomedical research tool in 1977. In recent years, Alzet osmotic pumps have been widely used in medical drug delivery experiments.
Let's start with a brief introduction to the Alzet osmotic pump. The Alzet osmotic pump is driven by the difference in osmotic pressure between the capsule and the tissue or organ at the implanted site. It is divided into three layers, namely the outermost layer of semi-permeable membrane material, the middle layer of hypertonic salt interlayer, the innermost layer of the reservoir capsule, and a diversion tube. Through the principle of osmosis, the body fluid passes through the semi-permeable membrane of the outermost layer of the capsule and is sucked in by high salt with high osmotic pressure, which will squeeze the compressible reservoir. Once the reservoir is compressed inward, the drug solution in the reservoir is pushed out of the capsule at a known, controllable rate. Since the squeezed reservoir cannot be restored and the agent cannot be refilled, the capsule pump can only be used once and cannot be reused.
When they see the real thing, they will have a question."Whether the Alzet capsule pump is used upwards or downwards"So do you know the answer? In fact, we will know the answer when we read the manual. In the instructions, the capsule pump mentions that "the osmotic pump is filled with a 27-type filling tube and a 1ml syringe. If a larger syringe is used, air bubbles may form in the capsule due to the filling speed being too fast. The drug solution is drawn with a syringe and filled with a filling tube. It should be noted that there should be no air bubbles between the syringe and the filling tube connected to it; Unplug the flow regulator, hold the osmotic pump upright, and insert the perfusion tube through the small opening at the top of the osmotic pump until it can no longer be inserted. At this point, the tip of the perfusion tube is close to the bottom of the capsule; Keeping the osmotic pump upright, slowly push the piston of the syringe. When the drug solution reaches the small opening at the top of the capsule, stop perfusion, and carefully remove the perfusion tube (air bubbles may be formed if it is fast)". Now you knowWhether the Alzet capsule pump is used upwards or downwardsGot it?
Alzet osmotic pumps are available in different models and specifications, depending on the model and specifications during operation. There will also be slight differences in use, such as: the size of the animal, the site of administration, etc., we must read the instructions carefully before use, in order to obtain satisfactory experimental results.