XPS improves drug delivery.

• Stainless steel stents (tubular medical devices) coated with polymers function as drug reservoirs and regulate drug delivery. However, the polymer coating has four recurrent problems: inflammatory reactions induced by all polymers; limited number of drugs suitable for polymer-based drug delivery due to the need to dissolve the drugs and polymers in a common solvent and then coat the stents; fracture during stent expansion of certain polymer formulations; and delayed endothelium growth which can lead to acute stent thrombosis. Therefore non-polymer based drug-eluding stents are needed.


• American scientists have demonstrated that non-polymeric films that serve as drug reservoirs and regulate drug delivery are a feasible alternative to polymers.


• TiO2 was found to be suitable for drug-eluding schemes and a novel method of loading therapeutic amounts of drug on a nanoporous TiO2 surface was developed. It is believed that this will maximise the chances of recovery for patients requiring the deployment of drug-eluding implants.


• XPS measurements carried out by a Kratos Axis Ultra instrument played a key role in the development of the method for drug-loading of nanoporous TiO2 films.

Techniques: XPS analysis.

Source: Ayon A. A., Cantu M., Chava K., Agrawal C. M., Feldman M. D., Johnson D., Patel D., Marton D. & Shi E.; (2006); "Drug Loading of Nanoporous TiO2 Films"; IOPP Electronic Journals; Biomedical Materials. Vol. 1; Issue 4; pp. 11-15.