PLGA/mesoporous silica hybrid structure for controlled drug release

In this paper, we report a poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA)/mesoporous silica hybrid structure (PS hybrid structure), which was synthesized via a novel sol-gel route assisted by single emulsion solvent evaporation. The in intro drug release properties of both the mesoporous silica and the PS hybrid structure were investigated. It was observed that gentamicin-loaded mesoporous silica showed a sharp initial burst during the first day followed by a rather constant and low release over the subsequent period of 3 weeks. In comparison with the mesoporous silica without biodegradable polymer encapsulation, the PS hybrid structure could realize a reduced initial burst, with a plateau stage for nearly 3 weeks of slow release, followed by a sustained release stage lasting for nearly 2 weeks. The whole release period could last as long as 5 weeks. These distinct behaviors make the hybrid structure material promising as a new drug release material for bone filling applications. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.