Drug Sustained‐Release Properties of Chitosan‐Coated Submicron Ordered Porous Zirconia

Abstract Porous zirconia (ZrO 2 ) has a higher specific surface area and good biocompatibility, so it has a good application prospect in the sustained release of orthopedic drugs. However, the drug loading of porous ZrO 2 prepared by traditional methods was lower, which limited its application. Chitosan (CS) has superior bioactivity and adsorption capacity, which can provide more loading sites for drugs. In this study, CS was coated on a submicron‐ordered porous ZrO 2 surface. The loading and release performance of the material on ibuprofen (IBU) before and after CS coating were compared. The mechanism underlying the sustained release of IBU by this material was investigated. The results showed that after CS coating, the specific surface area of submicron ordered porous ZrO 2 decreased, but the drug loading of IBU significantly increased from 77.43 to 135.94 mg/g. In vitro simulated release test showed that CS coating significantly inhibited the sudden release of IBU in the initial 10 h. In the middle and late stages of drug release, a stable constant rate of drug release was achieved, and the cumulative drug release reached 91.1%. This material shows potential as an ideal targeted drug delivery system for orthopedic anti‐inflammatory and pain relief applications.