Polymer‐ and hybrid‐based biomaterials for delivering biotherapeutic molecules in bone and cartilage tissue

García Couce, J. (2022)

Doctoral Thesis

Diseases and injuries related to bone and cartilage severely affect the function of the musculoskeletal system. They affect the life quality of patients and make them unable to move. The peculiarities of bone and cartilage structures mean that the therapeutic and surgical treatments that have been developed till date have a lot of disadvantages and limitations. Consequently, the development of new strategies for administering drugs that favor localized delivery is very important to achieve increasingly better treatments.
The design and preparation of platforms for this purpose is a constant challenge, and for this reason three types of matrices were designed and prepared in the thesis. The drugs encapsulated in these matrices were cefazolin sodium, betamethasone, dexamethasone sodium phosphate, and Etanercept (anti-TNF-α drug). We were able to show that our matrices modified the release of the incorporated molecules and the composition of the prepared materials played an important role in the kinetics of the release process. Physicochemical characterizations were carried out on all the materials, obtaining that in each case the morphology varied once modifications in the matrix composition had been introduced. Biological studies in vitro and in vivo showed the cytocompatibility of the materials and also the ability to help repair damaged cartilage.

• Biomaterials
• Hydrogels
• Composites
• Drug delivery
• Osteoarthritis
• Mathematical models

• All authors: García Couce, J.
• Supervisor: Lelieveldt, B.P.F.
• Co-supervisor: Cruz Ricondo, L.J.; Fuentes Estévez, G.
• Committee: Meulenbelt, I.; Ramos, Y.F.M.; Beltrán Custodio, A.M.; Quintanilla Sierra, L.
• Qualification: Doctor (dr.)
• Awarding Institution: Faculty of Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden University
• Date: 2022-10-20
• ISBN (print): 9789464195736