Micro-structured hydroxyapatite microspheres for local delivery of alendronate and BMP-2 carriers

•The hydroxyapatite microspheres having particle-in-sphere morphology have been synthesized.•The biocompatibility of the microspheres was evaluated using L-929 cell.•The microspheres successfully loaded alendronate and BMP-2.

This study describes the preparation of hydroxyapatite microspheres for local delivery of alendronate and BMP-2. The hydroxyapatite microsphere preparation was initiated by enzymatic decomposition of urea and accomplished using an emulsification process (water-in-oil) for nucleation and growth of hydroxyapatite within the microemulsion. The microspheres obtained were then sintered at 500 °C. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) indicated that the microspheres have particle-in-sphere morphology, so called ‘microstructured microspheres’. The viability of L-929 cells in the presence of sintered microspheres was 85%. The adsorption efficiencies for alendronate varied from 27.2% to 84.1% depending on the loading conditions. For BMP-2 loading, 79.2% was absorbed on the microspheres when a BMP-2 concentration of 25 μg/ml was used.

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