Mesoporous silica as a support for poorly soluble drug: Influence of pH and amino group on the drug release

Two different structures of mesoporous silica materials (MSMs), MCM-41 and MCM-41-NH2, were studied to investigate their suitability for drug delivery systems (DDS). The synthesized mesoporous materials were used as hosts for encapsulation of artesunate (ART) drug. The artesunate, an experimental anticancer drug, was incorporated in both hosts by two methods, mixing and high pressure methods. These new drug delivery systems were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), N-2 sorption isotherm, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). Loading of ART as models into MCM-41 and MCM-41-NH2 was studied using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). The loading uptake and release behaviors of ART were dependent on the textural properties of MCM-41 and MCM-41-NH2. The release of drug was carefully studied in different pH (7and7.4). The effect of the synthesized hosts and ART@mesoporousdrug deliveries on MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line viability was evaluated. Both hosts alone revealed no toxicity to MCF-7 cancer cells. But, ART@MSMs indicated an inhibition of cell livability, when compared to the non-encapsulated drug. These results indicate the application of the MCM-41 mesoporous material for drug loading, and delivery into cancer cells to impel cell death. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.