PLGA-GENTAMICIN BIOCOMPOSITE MATERIALS WITH POTENTIAL ANTIMICROBIAL APPLICATIONS IN ORTHOPEDICS
MARIA-VIORICA CIOCÎLTEU 1, PAULINA PODGOREANU 2*, CRISTINA DELCARU 2, MARIANA-CARMEN CHIFIRIUC 2, COSTEL VALENTIN MANDA 1, ANDREI BIŢĂ 1, MARIANA POPESCU 1, EMILIA AMZOIU 1, OCTAVIAN CROITORU 1, CORALIA BLEOTU 3, MARINELA BOSTAN 3, JOHNY NEAMŢU 1
1.Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Petru Rares Street, 200638, Craiova, Romania
2.Research Institute of the University of Bucharest (ICUB), Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences Division, University of Bucharest, 36-46 M. Kogălniceanu Boulevard, 050107, Bucharest, Romania
3.Center of Immunology, “Ștefan S. Nicolau” Institute of Virology, 285 Mihai Bravu Road, 030304, Bucharest, Romania
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The purpose of this study was to synthesize a PLGA (polylactic-co-glycolic acid)-gentamicin biodegradable material
followed by HPLC determination of the drug's encapsulation efficiency in the polymer. The chosen polymer, PLGA is a
biocompatible and biodegradable synthetic polymer, approved by the FDA, with adjustable mechanical properties, highly
used as a controlled release drug delivery system. One novel feature of the study is the inclusion of an antibiotic in the
composite material to combat the planktonic growth and biofilms formed by some of the major bacterial species involved in
the aetiology of osteomyelitis. The double emulsion synthesis method was chosen, as the most suitable for encapsulating
water-soluble drugs, such as gentamicin. For the quantitative assay of gentamicin, a new HPLC chromatographic method was
used, consisting in an initial treatment with FMOC-Cl (9-fluorenylmethylchloroformate) to derivatize gentamicin, followed
by UV detection of the derivative at λ = 265 nm. The antibacterial activity of the composite material was confirmed by the
qualitative and quantitative assays performed in this study to determine the minimal inhibitory concentration and the minimal
biofilm eradicating concentration.