Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles in Drug Delivery: Physicochemistry and Applications.

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) has been the gold standard in the biomedical field due to its composition and similarity to human bone. Properties such as shape, size, morphology, and ionic substitution can be tailored through the use of different synthesis techniques and compounds. Regardless of the ability to determine its physicochemical properties, a conclusion for the correlation with the biological response it is yet to be found. Hence, a special focus on the most desirable properties for an appropriate biological response needs to be addressed. This review provides an overview of the fundamental properties of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles and the characterization of physicochemical properties involved in their biological response and role as a drug delivery system. A summary of the main chemical properties and applications of hydroxyapatite, the advantages of using nanoparticles, and the influence of shape, size, functional group, morphology, and crystalline phase in the biological response is presented. A special emphasis was placed on the analysis of chemical and physical interactions of the nanoparticles and the cargo, which was explained through the use of spectroscopic and physical techniques such as FTIR, Raman, XRD, SEM, DLS, and BET. We discuss the properties tailored for hydroxyapatite nanoparticles for a specific biomolecule based on the compilation of studies performed on proteins, peptides, drugs, and genetic material.

Optimal ultrasonication process time remains constant for a specific nanoemulsion size reduction system.

This paper theorizes the existence of a constant optimum ultrasound process time for any size-reduction operation, independent of process parameters, and dependent on product parameters. We test the concept using the case of 'ultrasonic preparation of oil-in-water nanoemulsions' as model system. The system parameters during ultrasonication of a hempseed oil nanoemulsion was evaluated by a response surface methodology, comprising lecithin and poloxamer-188 as surfactants. Results revealed that the particle size and emulsion stability was affected significantly (p < 0.05) by all product parameters (content of hempseed oil-oil phase, lecithin and polaxamer-surfactants); but was not significantly (p > 0.05) affected by process parameter ('ultrasonication process time'). Next, other process parameters (emulsion volume and ultrasonic amplitude) were tested using kinetic experiments. Magnitude of particle size reduction decreased with increasing 'ultrasonication process time' according to a first order relationship, until a minimum particle size was reached; beyond which ultrasonication no longer resulted in detectable decrease in particle size. It was found that the optimal ultrasonication process time (defined as time taken to achieve 99% of the 'maximum possible size reduction') was 10 min, and was roughly constant regardless of the process parameters (sample volume and ultrasonic amplitude). Finally, the existence of this constant optimal ultrasonication process time was proven for another emulsion system (olive oil and tween 80). Based on the results of these case studies, it could be theorized that a constant optimum ultrasonication process time exists for the ultrasonication-based size-reduction processes, dependent only on product parameters.