Synthesis and Characterization of Nanodiamond-Growth Factor Complexes Towards Applications in Oral Implantation and Regenerative Medicine

Current challenges in the field of regenerative medicine include the need to deliver sustained concentrations of growth factors and genes that are required to induce the repair of deficient tissues. Enhancement of drug delivery and uptake may result in improved growth factor efficacy. Nanodiamonds (NDs) were explored as potential growth factor delivery agents due to the many favorable properties that they possess. For example, ND's biocompatibility has been extensively validated pre-clinically. In addition, they can be scalably produced through impact events such as detonation. They possess notably faceted surfaces with diverse electrostatic properties that allow the rapid formation of growth factor complexes. In this study, a complex based on NDs conjugated to epidermal growth factor (EGF) functionalized with Alexa Fluor 488 (ND-EGF) was developed. ND-EGF was comprehensively evaluated using dynamic light scattering and zeta potential analysis. Furthermore, the NDs were capable of eluting EGF in a sustain...