Abstract

Finding a bioactive hybrid material with the potential for a controlled drug release has been one of the major targets of tissue engineering in the recent years. In this line, the present work describes a new approach for producing singular hydrogel microparticles (HMPs) with different morphologies and compositions by combining experimental and computational methods. Calcium-Alginate microparticles (Ca-ALG) and core-shell Alginate-Chitosan microspheres (Ca-ALG-CHI) were synthesized with the presence of drug-doped Hydroxyapatite (HA) in their inner matrix. The methodology relies on the use of a microfluidic system to obtain crosslinked HMPs with homogeneous sizes and morphologies, integrating external and internal gelation. The impact of the water-to-oil volume ratio, as well as variations in the collecting baths, morphology, and dispersion, were considered. The drug models chosen were Propranolol hydrochloride and Cloxacillin sodium salt monohydrate. Avrami's parameters were used to study and address the adsorption kinetics of each drug onto the bioactive HA, and the Korsmeyer-Peppas model was used to analyze the posterior desorption profiles. The conception and development of this type of hydrogel microparticles with improved functionalities are essential for the creation of granular hydrogels, which are an innovative, green, sustained and highly promising solution for different therapies in regenerative medicine areas. (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.