Chitosan modified with lanthanum ions as implantable hydrogel for local delivery of bisphosphonates

Osteoporosis is a disease that affects many people around the world. One group of drugs used to treat it are bisphosphonates. However, they have poor bioavailability and many side effects. Therefore, research around the world is focused on developing bisphosphonate delivery systems. In this paper, we would like to present the design of a hydrogel material with chitosan matrix modified with lanthanum, that could serve as an implantable hydrogel capable of sustained and slow release of Zoledronate. Various research techniques were used to characterize the materials, and the swelling ratio and water solubility were also tested. The conducted research proved that the prepared hydrogel is capable of the long-term release of the Zoledronate. Thanks to this, the prepared material can be successfully used as an implantable hydrogel or a coating on titanium implants for the local delivery of drugs.