ObjectiveTo prepare glycolic acid ethyl cellulose microspheres (GAECM) for hepatic artery embolization treatment and to investigate their in vitro release property. MethodsGAECM was prepared using ethyl cellulose as a carrier, adding glycolic acid, by a double emulsion method. The appearance, particle size, drug loading, and encapsulation efficiency were used as indices to assess the roundness, smoothness, size uniformity, and drug contents of the microspheres. The in vitro release characteristics of the microspheres were determined by constant temperature oscillation dialysis. Results and conclusionThe prepared GAECM has a smooth round appearance, with a mean diameter of (233.38±1.62) μm, a mean drug loading of 114.32 μg/mg, an encapsulation efficiency of 78.61%, and a release period of 72 h. The microspheres can meet the requirements of further animal experiments, which provides important reference for using chemical corrosion in drugs used for hepatic arterial embolization studies.