Obtaining and characterizing a Sr+2 release system from alginate ionic crosslinking

Abstract

Bone is an organ with critical functions for human physiology. Bone tissue has the unique ability to repair itself without scarring, however, under some situations, such as: bone fractures or diseases, this ability is limited and requires expensive clinical interventions for the treatment of bone damage. Thus, in the present work, this problem is addressed through bone tissue engineering, which uses different materials to serve as fillers for bone damage to guide its repair. A possible material could be an alginate base since it has good properties: biocompatible, low toxicity and economically accessible, although it is soluble in water. From the incorporation of Ca+2 and Sr+2 ions to sodium alginate solutions, a cross-linked material will be obtained, with greater stability in aqueous media, as a Sr+2 release system. The concentration of the ions used as crosslinking and the gelation times on the strontium release were analyzed. These systems were characterized by swelling and degradation tests, finding that the percentage of the ion released depends on the gelation time of the samples, since after 6 days 28,5 %, 24,8 % and 17,1 % were quantified in the medium for 1, 12 and 24 h of gelation, respectively