Synthesis and Characterization of CaCO3-Biopolymers Hybrid Microparticles for Tissue Engineering.

V.E. BOSIO, T. BREVIER, B. CALVIGNAK, G.R. CASTRO AND F. BOURY; T. BEUVIER; B. CALVIGNAC; G.R. CASTRO; F. BOURY

LA PLATA

Conferencia; Humboldt Kolleg-International Conference on Physics; 2011

Calcium carbonate is one of the most abundant minerals in nature and has also become an important industrial material In living organisms, calcium carbonate with unusual properties can be synthesized under the modulation (or control) of organic additives. The process is called biomineralization (like mollusk shells, etc.). Besides the positive aspects of the process, negative ones also possible, such as the formation of kidney or gallstones. CaCO3 exists mainly in six different polymorphs, where the vaterite is for the microparticles production the polymorph more attractive because the distribution of size and spherical geometry. Focus on the development of hybrid materials has been received high attention in medicine amongst other fields for bone repair and/or replace using minimally invasive surgery (MIS). In this work, calcium carbonate were selected as calcium source, to study the synthesis and characterization of novel hybrid microparticles (hMPs) based on biopolymers and calcium carbonate for potential use in bone regeneration. The hMPs were also developed, as potential carrier of specific molecules towards the damaged zone to use in cancer therapies, and/or increase the repair efficiency and help tissue differentiation. Development of the hMPs were synthesize by coprecipitation method in presence of biopolymers. Natural polymers offer significant advantages to encapsulate drugs, instead of chemical modified matrixes including low cost of equipment, less expensive waste treatments, using soft techniques for cross-linking, tailorability of molecular structure. Doxorubicin, an anticancer drug, was used as molecule model to screen 10 biopolymers. Three types of pectins and other three types of Carragenanes were selected based on the interaction with the drug. Pectins and Carragenanes (both heteropolysaccharides), has the advantages of gelling in presence of divalent cations, are biodegradable and non-toxic. Optimal synthesis conditions were determined based on stability and gelification performance of each biopolymer. hMPs characterization were performed by chemical and physical structure analysis, morphology, size and physiological pH stability. Fluorescence microscopy was used to determine the presence of the biopolymers in the CaCO3 matrices, in where biopolymers derivatized with fluorescent probes were synthesized. hMPs structural analysis were performed with FTIR and Raman spectroscopies. Also, the spectroscopies allowed to detect the presence of vaterite and calcite crystalline structures. Physical structure was determined by XRD and hMPs morphology including the size, shape, and surface properties were examined using a SEM.