Table 2.
Applications of CNT composites as nanocarriers for bone tissue regeneration and engineering.
| Delivery System | Drugs/Molecular Type | Consequences | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| carbon nanotube (CNTs)/silk fibroin–hydroxyapatite (HA)/polyamide 66 (nHA/PA66) scaffolds | Dexamethasone (DEX) | Promoted the expression of osteoblast genes and induced the osteogenic differentiation | [217,218] |
| Chitosan (CS)–CNTs nanoparticles | isoniazid | Prolonged the release time, stabilized the release rate of isoniazid, retained the biological function, and reduced the cytotoxicity and inflammatory response of isoniazid | [219] |
| HA–alginate–MWCNT + Fe beads | chlorhexidine | Prolonged chlorhexidine release time and showed high a young’s modulus comparable to steel | [221] |
| CNT–chitosan (CS)–hydroxyapatite (HA) composite materials | ibuprofen (IBU) ibuprofen sodium (IBU-Na) fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran (FITC-Dex) |
Controlled the release of both low and high molecular weight hydrophilic drugs | [222] |
| HA–magnetite–MWCNT nanocomposite with magnetite nanoparticles (MWCNT/Fe3O4) | clodronate | Improved magnetic properties, induced bone biomineralization, and inhibited osteoclast activity in vitro | [223,224] |
| CNT–mesoporous silica composites | zoledronic acid (Zol) | Ensured the 3D conductive network to transmit the electrical stimuli, affected osteoblasts cultured over the surface, and increased the drug loading | [225] |
| CNT gel scaffold via specific pairing of functionalized nucleobases | human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) | Significantly increased the spontaneous osteogenesis on bio-electrical gel scaffolds and enhanced cell differentiation and organization via extra electrical stimulus. | [229] |
| CNT arrays | recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2), poloxamer | Retained a larger amount of rhBMP-2, delayed protein release and inhibited the large initial burst | [228] |
| hydroxyapatite (HA)–collagen–MWCNT composite scaffolds | recombinant bone morphogenetic protein-9 (BMP-9) | Enhanced osteogenic differentiation in vitro and induced more new bone formation in vivo | [226] |
| carboxylic acid-functionalized MWCNT–monetite-based CPC | Z-Leu-Leu-Leu-al (MG132) | Exhibited a sustained drug release, and confirmed the therapeutic effect by the inhibition of cytokine-induced osteoclast differentiation | [222] |
| poly(lactic-co-glycolic) (PLGA)-functionalized CNTs materials | pro-apoptotic protein caspase-3 (CP3) | Promoted delivery of RNA and transcription factor to cells and demonstrated a pronounced ability of cell penetration | [233] |