Elution profiles of metronidazole from calcium sulfate beads

Antibiotic beads are used to treat local bacterial infections by delivering high drug concentrations to infected tissue.

This study examined the elution characteristics of metronidazole from metronidazole-calcium sulfate (MCa) and metronidazole-calcium-potassium sulfate (MCaK) beads over 20 days and the antibacterial efficacy of the beads after storage.

The MCa and MCaK beads were prepared by mixing 250 mg of metronidazole and 10 g of calcium sulfate hemihydrate with water and a 3% potassium sulfate solution, respectively. The beads were placed in phosphate-buffered saline for the elution study. The metronidazole eluents were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography. The microstructures were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the antimicrobial activity was evaluated by a microbioassay.

For the 20-day study, the total amount of metronidazole released was greater in the MCa beads than in the MCaK beads by 6.61 ± 0.48 mg (89.11% ± 3.04%) and 4.65 ± 0.36 mg (73.11% ± 4.38%), respectively. The amounts of eluted drugs from the MCa and MCaK beads were higher than the minimum inhibitory concentration at 0.5 µg/mL against anaerobic bacteria at both 20 days and 14 days. SEM showed that calcium crystals on the outer surface had dissolved after elution, and thinner calcium crystals were prominent in the MCaK beads. The MCa and MCaK beads exhibited antibacterial activity after setting, followed by storage at room temperature or 4°C for 21 days.

The MCa beads could release more drug than the MCaK beads, but all eluted metronidazole amounts were effective in controlling bacterial infections. Both metronidazole beads could be stored at ambient temperature or in a refrigerator.