Hydroxyapatite (HA), especially in the form of HA nanoparticles (HANPs), has excellent bioactivity, biodegradability, and osteoconductivity and therefore has been widely used as a template or additives for drug delivery in clinical applications, such as dentistry and orthopedic repair. Due to the atomically anisotropic distribution on the preferred growth of HA crystals, especially the nanoscale rod-/whisker-like morphology, HA can generally be a good candidate for carrying a variety of substances. HA is biocompatible and suitable for medical applications, but most drugs carried by HANPs have an initial burst release. In the adsorption mechanism of HA as a carrier, specific surface area, pore size, and porosity are important factors that mainly affect the adsorption and release amounts.
Biomolecules with Different Types of Appearance | Drug | Highlights and Potential Clinical Applications | Ref. | |
---|---|---|---|---|
TCH/HANPs/CG core–shell nanofibers | Tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) | The composite nanofibers have long-lasting antibacterial function, good biocompatibility, and high mechanical strength, and are suitable for wound dressings and drug delivery systems. | [72] | [20] |
HANPs/PLGA microspheres | − | The diameter of the composite microspheres is about 250 μm. When the content of HANPs was 20% and 40%, respectively, it could promote the mineralization and osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells, and had good clinical application potential in bone tissue engineering and bone implantation. | [93] | [21] |
HANPs-containing alginate–gelatin composite films | Tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) | The addition of HANPs will make the surface of the composite film rougher and effectively improve the thermal stability. In addition, it can reduce the initial burst release of the drug. The polymer-HA composite film can be used not only for biomedical applications, but also for food packaging. | [97] | [2] |
Polycaprolactone/ polyethylene oxide/ hydroxyapatite 3D scaffolds | Vancomycin (VCM) | The composite scaffold with HA content of 65% had the best wettability and mechanical properties, but adding too much HA would affect the mechanical properties of the polymer-HA composite. The drug release showed an initial burst, and the 3D scaffold with antibacterial activity was suitable for bone tissue engineering applications. | [102] | [7] |
A chitosan (CS)-coated polytrimethylene carbonate (PTMC)/polylactic acid (PLLA)/oleic acid-modified hydroxyapatite (OA-HA)/vancomycin hydrochloride (VH) microsphere scaffold | vancomycin hydrochloride (VH) | Two active molecules, OA-HA and VH, can be released through the pores. In addition to facilitating osteoblast adhesion, CS coating can also control the release behavior of the OA-HA to stimulate the proliferation of osteoblasts, which is expected to be used in bone tissue engineering. | [ | 109 |