Desenvolvimento de arcabouços de quitosana/hidroxiapatita para liberação controlada de fármacos.

Abstract

The studies aimed at the development of scaffolds comprehend to technological innovations, with the insertion of drugs for controlled release. The goal of this research was to develop scaffolds consisting of hydroxyapatite/chitosan, loaded with drug, curcumine or dexamethasone, for the study in controlled drug release. For that purpose, it was used the ionotropic gelation method for obtaining the biocomposite spheres, and, subsequently, the particle aggregation method for the formation of the scaffolds. The research was divided into three steps: the Step I consisted in the development of scaffolds formed by chitosan/hydroxyapatite spheres, with three different concentrations of hydroxyapatite tested; on the Steps II and III occurred the insertion of drugs, in the concentration chosen from the Step I, and investigation of the release profile. On the step II was used curcumine, and on the Step III, dexamethasone. The developed scaffolds were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Region Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Optical Microscopy (OM), Porosity (%), Swelling Degree Assay (%SD), Cytoxycity Assay, Compression Assay (Step I), and, because of the presence of drugs in the scaffolds of the Steps II and II, assays were done by Spectrophotometer (UV-VIS). On the Step I could be observed the formation of scaffolds with porous tridimensional structures, with interconnected pores and with varying sizes. The results indicate that the formed scaffolds have their results influenced by the different concentrations of hydroxyapatite. With the increase of the ceramic fraction, it is observed the densification of the surface, and a small increase in the spheres diameter, affecting: the porosity of the scaffolds; the %SD and the mechanical behavior, similar to elastomers. Furthermore, these scaffolds presented good cell viability with results around 70% for all scaffolds, regardless of the concentration of HA. The characterizations done in the scaffolds containing drug, Steps II and III, indicate that occurred a possible interaction among the amino groups of the chitosan and the drugs. For the scaffolds formed on this step, it were not observed significant differences in their morphology. The porosity suffered interference in relation to the drug concentration, such that, the higher the concentration of the drug, the lower the porosity; moreover, they showed lower %SD, which can be attributed to the hydrophobic nature of the drugs. It was observed a reduction of the cell viability both for curcumine and dexamethasone scaffolds, which is proportional to the increase of the concentration of drugs, and is noted that the dexamethasone was more cytotoxic than the curcumine, since it showed larger release rate when compared to the curcumine. From the mathematical models, it is perceived that the release is controlled by the diffusion process and by the swelling/relaxation of the polymer chain for both drugs, even in different rates. The study suggests that the developed scaffolds need readjustments for application in bone regeneration, however, they exhibit potential for controlled release systems of the two kinds of drug studied.