Evaluation of Polymer-Ceramic Composites as Potential Drug Delivery Systems

Wioletta Florkiewicz
Cracow University of Technology, Warszawska 24, Krakow 31-155, Poland

Abstract

The term drug delivery systems appertain to materials that release therapeutic agents to the specific body site or transport of active substances to the spot of action through the biological membranes. Delivering of the drug to a specific site of the patient's body can influence the efficacy and safety of the drug by controlling the rate, dose, and time of its release. Moreover, due to the local action of a drug the negative systemic effects of the drug administered orally may be limited. The delivery of drugs can be adjusted and controlled by numerous variables including the physicochemical properties of the carrier of the active substance. In this study, we focused on the preparation of ceramic-polymer composites by a fast and facile method based on photo-crosslinking under a UV lamp. Such materials were modified with natural origin substances i.e. protein. The chemical structure of such-obtained materials was investigated with FT-IR spectroscopy. In order to evaluate materials' behavior in biological fluids in vitro tests with phosphate buffer solution were carried out. During incubation changes in pH and conductivity of the immersion fluids were monitored. Additionally, studies of the swelling ability of materials were performed to determine the rate parameters and equilibrium swelling of tested materials. The “Multifunctional biologically active composites for applications in bone regenerative medicine” project is carried out within the TEAM-NET program of the Foundation for Polish Science financed by the European Union under the European Regional Development Fund. The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support. POIR.04.04.00-00-16D7/18.

Presentation