AVS 49th International Symposium
    Nanometer Structures Monday Sessions
       Session NS+BI-MoA

Paper NS+BI-MoA6
Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Self Assembled Nanoparticles for Delivery of Transforming Growth Factor Beta

Monday, November 4, 2002, 3:40 pm, Room C-207

Session: Nanobiology
Presenter: C. Catuogno, McGill University, Canada
Authors: C. Catuogno, McGill University, Canada
M. Tabrizian, McGill University, Canada
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Biocompatible and biodegradable nanoparticles with additional high drug encapsulation efficiency and controllable targeting would form an ideal drug delivery system. Investigation of the possibility of making such vehicles is presented in this work. Such devices could be used in combination with polymeric bone scaffolds for delivery of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-b) in order to accelerate bone cell differentiation and bone formation in vitro. The particle shell is made of natural carbohydrate polymers namely chitosan or hyaluronic acid that are commonly used in tissue engineering. Chitosan is insoluble in water or in alkaline solutions but dissolves readily in dilute solutions of most organic acids. Chitosan has gel-forming ability at low pH and swells in acidic medium or in water. These proprieties added to those of hyaluronic acid have motivated the use of both materials to control TGF-b adsorption and release from the nanoparticles. Additionally, composite materials have been shown to improve mechanical properties of scaffolds. The nanoparticles are built from a succession of polyelectrolytes using the layer-by-layer method. Colloidal iron oxide particles are adsorbed on the polymer layers and encapsulated into the nanoparticles. This aims at inducing the guidance of nanoparticles using an external magnetic field to desired site of delivery when such device is used for in situ bone generation.