L. Disilvio et al., THE USE OF GELATIN AS A VEHICLE FOR DRUG AND PEPTIDE DELIVERY, Journal of materials science. Materials in medicine, 5(11), 1994, pp. 819-823
Gelatin, a naturally occurring polymer, has been investigated as a veh
icle for drug delivery in two different delivery systems: microspheres
and as a coating on titanium implants. The gelatin was loaded with re
combinant human growth hormone (hGH) which was dispersed within the po
lymer matrix prior to crosslinking; it was then made into microspheres
or coated onto the implants. The release of hGH was monitored in vitr
o using an ''in-house'' ELISA system. The effects of pH on the swellin
g kinetics and the physical properties of the loaded gelatin in the mi
crosphere system were studied. In addition, the effect of ultrasound o
n the microspheres was investigated as a possible method for controlli
ng the rate of release of hGH, it was demonstrated that exposure to ul
trasound significantly increased hGH release. Biocompatibility of the
gelatin was determined using both primary human (HOB) and rabbit (ROB)
osteoblastlike cells in culture.