An Overview of In Vitro Drug Release Methods for Drug-Eluting Stents

Abstract

The drug release profile of drug-eluting stents (DESs) is affected by a number of factors, including the formulation, design, and physicochemical properties of the utilized material. DES has been around for twenty years and despite its widespread clinical use, and efficacy in lowering the rate of target lesion restenosis, it still requires additional development to reduce side effects and provide long-term clinical stability. Unfortunately, for analyzing these implants, there is still no globally accepted in vitro test method. This is owing to the stent’s complexity as well as the dynamic arterial compartments of the blood and vascular wall. The former is the source of numerous biological, chemical, and physical mechanisms that are more commonly observed in tissue, lumen, and DES. As a result, universalizing bio-relevant apparatus, suitable for liberation testing of such complex implants is difficult. This article aims to provide a comprehensive review of the methods used for in vitro release testing of DESs. Aspects related to the correlation of the release profiles in the cases of in vitro and in vivo are also addressed.

Coatings for Cardiovascular Stents—An Up-to-Date Review

“…However, several studies show that, in terms of mortality, stent thrombosis, and long-term efficacy, patients treated with polymer-free stents exhibit clinical outcomes comparable to those treated with durable polymer DESs. On the other hand, it has been claimed that new-generation DESs have been shown to be superior or noninferior to durable DESs in terms of the safety and efficacy [34].…”

Drug Delivery Opportunities in Esophageal Cancer: Current Treatments and Future Prospects

“…Optimization of a novel drug eluting stent specifically designed for the esophagus requires intricate examination of each component (Figure 6 226 ). Specifically, biocompatibility and pharmacokinetics are the primary parameters of interest, as they are closely tied to efficacy.…”

“…Diagram of a drug eluting stent and the components that impact release kinetics and efficacy. Reproduced with permission from ref (CC BY).…”

Magnetoresponsive Functionalized Nanocomposite Aggregation Kinetics and Chain Formation at the Targeted Site during Magnetic Targeting

“…To enable the local application of the compounds, the chemicals were linked to balloons or stents [9,10] used in percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. This technique, in particular the use of drug-eluting stents laden with anti-proliferative agents, has resulted in restenosis rates below 10% [11,12].…”