In this study, heparin-conjugated poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanospheres (HCPNs) suspended in fibrin gel (group 1) were developed for a long-term delivery of BMP-2, and then used to address the hypothesis that a long-term delivery of BMP-2 would enhance ectopic bone formation compared to a short-term delivery at an equivalent dose. Fibrin gel containing normal PLGA nanospheres (group 2) was used for short-term delivery of BMP-2. The in vitro release of BMP-2 from group I was sustained for 4 weeks with no initial burst release. In contrast, 83% of BMP-2 loaded in group 2 was released only for the first 3 days. BMP-2 released from group I stimulated an increase in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of osteoblasts for 9 days in vitro. In contrast, BMP-2 released from group 2 induced a transient increase in ALP activity for the first 5 days and a decrease thereafter. Importantly, group I induced bone formation to a much greater extent than did group 2, with 2.0-fold greater bone formation area and 3.5-fold greater calcium content, upon implantation into rat hind limb muscle. These results show that long-term delivery of BMP-2 enhances in vivo osteogenic efficacy of the protein compared to short-term delivery at an equivalent dose. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.