Evaluation of Drug Release Profiles of Titanium Plates Coated with PLGA or Chitosan with Meropenem Using UPLC: An In Vitro Study

In some cases, titanium plates could be a reservoir for harboring bacteria resulting in challenging cases of infection. Current estimates indicate that 10–12% of plates require removal due to infection, exposure, pain, and discomfort. The present investigation was conducted to evaluate the potential sustained meropenem-coated plates amalgamated with “PLGA” polylactic co-glycolic acid and chitosan polymers with the concurrent sterilization effect of gamma irradiation. After coating the plates with either M “meropenem”, MP “meropenem-PLGA, or MC “meropenem-chitosan”, they were divided into two groups of sterile and non-sterile coated plates. The drug release was studied over three-time intervals of 1, 3, and 7 days using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography. Overall, the three materials had similar drug release on day one, both in sterile and non-sterile groups, while on days 3 and 7, a noticeable increase in the drug release was perceived in favor of MP. At the same time, no statistically significant difference was observed between sterile and non-sterile groups. A statistically significant increase in drug release was observed between and within the materials over time, with no overall difference between sterile and non-sterile groups.