In Situ Fabrication of Alendronate-Loaded Calcium Phosphate Microspheres for Osteoporosis Treatment

摘要

Calcium phosphate (CaP) has emerged as useful materials for delivery of various bioactive agents. It is an especially attractive candidate for osteoporosis treatment because its main component is the mineral of natural bones. Currently, CaP serves as carrier materials of bisphosphonate drugs, but the loading process requires two step processes: first CaP carriers are fabricated, then the bisphosphonate is loaded. In this work, we aim to develop an unprecedented fabrication technique for bioabsorbable CaP microspheres for the efficient delivery of alendronate (ALD) and to evaluate CaP carriers with the potential to inhibit osteoclastogenesis. The key technology for ALD-loaded CaP microspheres is based on a one-pot process using water-in-oil microemulsion and subsequent CaP nucleation/growth in water droplets. This process may have superiority to the current loading procedure, which is based on surface drug sorption, in terms of enhanced loading and the simplicity of the fabrication process.