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Abstract: The type of ceramic materials utilized
for repair and replacement of diseased and damaged parts
of the musculoskeletal system are referred to as
bioceramics. The research on drug delivery and targeting
systems using bioceramics is an interesting research and
development field. Since these ceramics are
biocompatible, resorbable and porous, attempts have been
made to utilize them as delivery systems for drugs and
biologicals in the form of musculoskeletal implants or
as targeted drug delivery for therapeutic purposes
through other routes. Bioceramic materials including
bioceramic nanoparticles i.e. nanobioceramics could be
utilized for the delivery of different drugs like
antibiotics, antineoplastics, steroids, peptides and
protein drugs, radioisotope delivery in cancer treatment
and as DNA or gene delivery vehicles. The present review
provides a brief overview on bioceramics and summarizes
the retrospects and prospects of bioceramics research in
drug delivery.
Introduction
Ceramics can be defined as objects created from such
naturally occurring raw materials as clay minerals and
quartz sand, by shaping the material and then hardening
it by firing at high temperatures to make the object
stronger, harder, and less permeable to fluids. Within
the last six decades a revolution has occurred in the
use of ceramics to improve the quality of life. This
revolution is the innovative use of specially designed
ceramics for the repair and reconstruction of diseased
or damaged parts of the body. Ceramics used for this
purpose are termed as bioceramics.
Bioceramics are a class of advanced ceramics which are
defined as ceramic products or components used for
repair and replacement of diseased and damaged parts of
the musculoskeletal system, employed in medical and
dental applications, mainly as implants and
replacements. They are biocompatible, and can be inert,
bioactive and degradable in physiological environment
that makes it an ideal biomaterial. However, it is
brittle with poor tensile strength that makes it
unsuitable for load bearing applications. Materials that
are classified as bioceramics include alumina, zirconia,
calcium phosphates, silica based glasses or glass
ceramics and pyrolytic carbons.
With bioceramics, many parts of human body can be
replaced or repaired. Regardless of the type of the
ceramic used and the way of implantation, the
introduction of an implant in a living body always
causes inflammation and frequent infection. These
problems can be overridden by using local drug delivery
systems to confine drugs, such as antibiotics, anti-inflammatories,
anticancers, etc. The possibility of introducing certain
drugs into the ceramic matrices employed for
musculoskeletal implantation or by other route for
therapeutic purpose is definitely an added potential to
be taken into account. The present review aims to
furnish an overview on the recent research trends and
prospects in bioceramics for drug delivery and
targeting.
Types and Properties of Bioceramics
Bioceramics may be bioinert (alumina, zirconia),
bioresorbable or biodegradable (tricalcium phosphate)
and bioactive (hydroxyapatite, bioactive glasses, and
glass-ceramics). Bioinert materials form a fibrous
capsule around the implant. Bioactive materials on the
other hand form an interfacial bond with the implant,
whereas bioresorbable (biodegradable) materials are
replaced with the new tissue as the implant dissolved.
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