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Emulsion cross-linked chitosan/nanohydroxyapatite microspheres for controlled release of alendronate

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Abstract

Sustained delivery of growth factors has emerged as an essential requirement for bone tissue engineering applications for the treatment of various kinds of bone defects. Chitosan (CH) has attracted particular attention for drug delivery and bone tissue engineering because of its favorable biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this study, a composite microsphere system containing CH and nanohydroxyapatite (nHA)-alendronate (AL) particles was fabricated by employing both emulsification and cross-linking strategies. The microspheres were characterized for their surface morphology, composition, size distribution, drug loading efficiency and release properties. The results showed that loading efficiency and sustained release of hydrophilic AL were significantly improved, which is ideal for locally sustained release in the bone microenvironment. In vitro osteogenic studies showed that the microspheres could enhance the osteogenic activity of rabbit adipose-derived stem cells. In conclusion, the CH/nHA-AL composite microspheres exhibit promising properties as a candidate for local treatment for bone defects.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Doctoral Scientific Research Funding Program of Central South University and Changsha Municipal Sci-Tech Project of China (K1101025-31). The authors would like to thank Dr. Yibing Qyang, Dr. Zhengxin Jiang and Ms. Carol Suh for editing. The authors also thank Wenhu Zhou and Yan Tang for technical assistance and Zili Wang for providing the rabbit adipose-derived stem cells.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedics, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan Province, China

    Hongwei Wu, Gengyan Liu, Jianghong Ling & Chaoyue Zhang

  2. Department of Thoracic Internal Medicine, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan Province, China

    Yan Xu

  3. Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA

    Hongwei Wu & Biraja C. Dash

  4. State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, Hunan Province, China

    Jianming Ruan

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  1. Hongwei Wu
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Correspondence to Chaoyue Zhang.

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Wu, H., Xu, Y., Liu, G. et al. Emulsion cross-linked chitosan/nanohydroxyapatite microspheres for controlled release of alendronate. J Mater Sci: Mater Med 25, 2649–2658 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-014-5289-y

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