Synthesis and characterization of antibacterial drug loaded ß-tricalcium phosphate powders for bone engineering applications.

Powders of ß-tricalcium phosphate [ß-TCP, ß-Ca3(PO4)2] and composite powders of ß-TCP and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were synthesized by using wet precipitation methods. First, the conditions for the preparation of single phase ß-TCP have been delineated. In the co-precipitation procedure, calcium nitrate and diammonium hydrogen phosphate were used as calcium and phosphorous precursors, respectively. The pH of the system was varied in the range 7-11 by adding designed amounts of ammonia solution. The filtered cakes were desiccated at 80 °C and subsequently calcined at different temperatures in the range between 700-1100 °C. Later on, rifampicin form II was used to produce drug-loaded ß-TCP and PVA/ß-TCP powders. All the synthesized materials have been characterized from morphological (by scanning electron microscopy) and structural-chemical (by X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) point of view. The drug loading capacity of the selected pure ß-TCP powder has been assessed. The biological performance (cytocompatibility in fibroblast cell culture and antibacterial efficacy against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) has been tested with promising results. Application perspectives of the designed drug-bioceramic-polymer blends are advanced and discussed.

Development of Amoxicillin-Loaded Electrospun Polyurethane/Chitosan/ $\beta$ -Tricalcium Phosphate Scaffold for Bone Tissue Regeneration.

Biocompatible nanocomposite electrospun fibers containing Polyurethane/Chitosan/ $\beta $ -Tri calcium phosphate with diverse concentrations were designed and produced through the electrospinning process for bone tissue engineering applications. After the production process, density measurement, viscosity, electrical conductivity, and tensile strength measurement tests were carried out as physical analyses of blended solutions. The chemical structural characterization was scrutinized using Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the morphological details of developed electrospun scaffolds. Cell viability, attachment, and proliferation were performed using a L929 fibroblast cell line. Based on the physical, SEM, FTIR analysis, and cell culture studies, preferable nanofiber composition was selected for further studies. Amoxicillin (AMX) was loaded to that selected nanofiber composition for examination of the drug release. In comparison with other studies on similar AMX controlled products, higher drug loading and encapsulation efficiencies were obtained. It has been clearly found that the developed nanofiber composites have potential for bone tissue engineering applications.