Fabrication of mesoporous zirconia and titania nanomaterials for bone regeneration and drug delivery applications

Mesoporous materials have reached a significant milestone in the last twenty years in the field of drug delivery, and they continue to be an important part of development and innovation in pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. In addition, their applications in the regeneration of hard tissues were greatly explored in recent decades due to their exponential biomineralization capabilities. They are the perfect candidates for active uptake and loading medicinal substances due to their unique chemical-physical properties. In this research, mesoporous zirconia (MZNs) and titania (MTNs) nanopowders were prepared by polymer sacrificial method as amoxicillin delivery systems. They were investigated using several characterization techniques including X-rays diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Transmittance electron microscopy (TEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurements. These techniques assist in evaluating the appropriate pore size and diameter, with emphasis on the safety of the released drugs. Amoxicillin release form MZNs and MTNs was conducted in Phosphate buffer saline (PBS) up to 28 days. The possibility of using these antibacterial agents against different strains of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria has been evaluated. Finally viabilities of the human bone osteosarcoma cell line (MG-63) were tested. MZNs and MTNs demonstrate particle diameters in range of (8–25 nm) and they were confirmed as mesoporous particles by TEM and BET techniques. Amoxicillin loaded nanopowders showed good antibacterial and antifungal activities alongside with proliferation behavior after 24 h (124 and 110%) for MZNs & MTNs, respectively, and (189 and 114%) for amoxicillin loaded MZNs & MTNs, respectively. Therefore, the developed nanomaterials are of high potentiality to be implemented as medication delivery systems for bone regeneration.