Controlled release of Simvastatin from chitosan microspheres produced by water-in-oil emulsion method for application in tissue engineering

ObjectivesSimvastatin has recently attracted great attentions as a promising agent for reducing inflammatory and enhancing angiogenesis, bone regeneration and wound healing. Therefore, controlled release of Simvastatin in the defect site would enhance tissue regeneration efficiency. In this study, we have designed and developed Simvastatin-loaded chitosan microspheres for controlled release of Simvastatin.MethodsSimvastatin-loaded microspheres were prepared by water-in-oil emulsion/ionic crosslinking method. Chitosan solution was prepared by dissolving desired amount of chitosan in dilute acetic acid and stirred for 12 h. Simvastatin was dissolved in methanol to obtain stock drug solution. After that, desired amounts of stock drug solution were added to the chitosan solutions and homogenized. Then, each mixture was added drop-by-drop into olive oil containing Span-80 under magnetic stirring at 900 rpm for 30 min to form water-in-oil emulsions. Thereafter, in order to crosslink the aqueous droplets, TPP solution (10 w/v% in distilled water) was added drop-wise into each emulsion and further stirred for 90 min. The crosslinked microspheres were collected by centrifugation and washed with petroleum ether, acetone and water. Then, the microspheres were freeze-dried for 24 h.ResultsMicroscopic images showed spherical shapes of the particles. Particle size of the microspheres was in a range from 5 to 40 μm. Higher loading efficiency was obtained in higher Simvastatin content. Simvastatin-loaded microspheres exhibited sustained release of Simvastatin.DiscussionIn conclusion, a microsphere system for controlled release of Simvastatin was developed and characterized. The system could release the Simvastatin in a sustained manner which is suitable for tissue engineering application

کلیدواژه ها:

Simvastatin ، Chitosan ، Microsphere ، Controlled release ، Tissue engineering