DRUG DELIVERY STUDY OF SINGLE-WALL CARBON NANOTUBES COVALENT FUNCTIONALIZED WITH CISPLATIN

Carbon nanotubes are widely studied components for drug delivery systems due to their high surface area and low chemical reactivity. The research presented in this paper deals with the synthesis of drug delivery systems based on single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and the well-known cancer treatment drug Cisplatin. The new nanomaterials obtained through covalent bonding between carboxyl groups from the SWCNTs surface and amino groups from the Cisplatin structure were characterized from structural point of view. To evaluate the content of drug released the Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) was employed. The releasing profile shows a slow rate in the beginning followed by a spectacular increase after 180 minutes which means that this type of system could be used for prolonged release

Nanocomposite particles with improved microstructure for 3D culture systems and bone regeneration

Nano-apatite and gelatin-alginate hydrogel microparticles have been prepared by a one-step synthesis combined with electrostatic bead generation, for the reconstruction of bone defects. Based on the analysis of bone composition, architecture and embryonic intramembranous ossification, a bio-inspired fabrication has been developed. Accordingly, the mineral phase has been in situ synthesized, calcifying the hydrogel matrix while the latter was crosslinked, finally generating microparticles that can assemble into a bone defect to ensure interconnected pores. Although nano-apatite-biopolymer composites have been widely investigated, microstructural optimization to provide improved distribution and stability of the mineral is rarely achieved. The optimization of the developed method progressively resulted in two types of formulations (15P and 7.5P), with 15 and 7.5 (wt%) phosphate content in the initial precursor. The osteolytic potential was investigated using differentiated macrophages. A commercially available calcium phosphate bone graft substitute (Eurocer 400) was incorporated into the hydrogel, and the obtained composites were in vitro tested for comparison. The cytocompatibility of the microparticles was studied with mouse osteoblast-like cell line MC3T3-E1. Results indicated the best in vitro performance have been obtained for the sample loaded with 7.5P. Preliminary evaluation of biocompatibility into a critical size (3 mm) defect in rabbits showed that 7.5P nanocomposite is associated with newly formed bone in the proximity of the microparticles, after 28 days