Adsorption/desorption studies of norfloxacin on brushite nanoparticles from reverse microemulsions

Abstract

Calcium phosphates are used in biomedical materials, such as bone cement, bone replacement material and drug carriers, as they are the major inorganic constituents of hard human tissue. Different reverse microemulsions were prepared to synthesize brushite materials with diverse shapes and sizes. SEM analysis showed that from ME1 an irregular amorphous material was obtained, those from ME2 formed macroscopic sheets and nanoparticles synthesized from ME3 formed nanorods-like structures. Due to their size and shape, those nanoparticles were used as drug carriers for controlled drug release. The results suggest a direct effect of the type of reverse microemulsion used, and that the amount of water added to the reverse microemulsion may also affect the phase of the final material. An evaluation of adsorption and desorption of the antibiotic norfloxacin was carried out on the nanoparticles obtained from ME3 and demonstrated that the nanoparticles could be used not only as a tissue engineering material but also as a controlled drug delivery system.