PLGA microspheres embedded in porous biodegradable scaffold as a delivery vehicle for sustained release of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2)

The effect of poly(DL-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres embedded in a porous biodegradable poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF) scaffold as a delivery vehicle for sustained release of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) was investigated. PLGA with a 50/50 or 75/25 lactide to glycolide ratio and weight average molecular weight of 25 or 60 Kg/mol was used for microsphere preparation. It was observed that the kinetics of release depended on the fraction of PLGA microspheres in the scaffold. The results show that embedding the microspheres in a porous PPF scaffold significantly reduces the burst release of rhBMP-2 and released amount can be controlled by the microsphere loading.