Cap??tulo de livro
Microspheres for bone regeneration
Microspheres: Technologies, Applications and Role in Drug Delivery Systems
Registro en:
6
0000-0002-5172-5082
Autor
BORGES, ROGER
GENOVA, LUIS A.
MARCHI, JULIANA
Resumen
Nowadays, with global population aging and habits, cases of fracture, wear and bone
loss have constantly concerned health authorities. As an alternative for the recovery of
such patients and the promotion of better living conditions, there is a pressing need for
development of biomaterials that can successfully replace or regenerate bone tissue. In
this research area, microespheres deserve great attention due their unique properties. The
specific material and the characteristics of the microspheres to be used for bone
regeneration depend on each specific situation, taking into account aspects such as bone
characteristics, injury size and selection of the most appropriate technique for such
treatment. Generally, microspheres can act as a scaffold for the temporary or permanent
filling of the injured area, or may act as a controlled drug delivery system. Moreover, the
microspheres can simultaneously fulfill both functions. In this chapter, an overall view of
bone tissue is presented, including the structure and functions. The main aspects of bone
regeneration are briefly discussed, considering its fracture self-repairing mechanisms
through reabsorption and deposition of the mineralized matrix process. When such
mechanisms are not enough to provide full recovery, tissue regeneration strategies for
such repairs are presented, highlighting the use of biomaterials and specifically
microspheres. Finally, some examples of microsphere application to different situations
related to the bone regeneration process are discussed.