Development of Hydroxyapatite-chitosan Beads as a Sustained Drug Delivery System to Bone

Chitosan (CH) is derived from N-deacetylation of chitin, which is the second most abundant naturally occurring biopolymer after cellulose. Due to its biodegradable and biocompatible properties, CH has been investigated for many biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. For example, CH-microspheres have been used as carriers for controlled release of drugs, peptides and proteins, as well as vaccines. The modulation of drug release rate from CH-microspheres had been obtained by matrix cross-linking. This made the polymer less hydrophilic and slowed down the permeability to biological fluids. In fact, the cross-linking process can be performed by using chemical substances acting as crossComposites of natural polymers and ceramics have become important in the development of biomedical applications ranging from diagnostic and therapeutic devices, tissue regeneration and controlled drug delivery. This study explored the potential of hydroxyapatite (HA)/chitosan (CH) composites to act as a sustained drug delivery to bone.