Abstract
The use of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) in the field of oral drug delivery has recently attracted greater attention. However, there is still limited knowledge about how the shape of MSNs affects drug delivery capacity. In our study, we fabricated mesoporous silica nanorods (MSNRs) to study the shape effects of MSNs on oral delivery. MSNRs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nitrogen adsorption/desorption, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and small-angle X-ray diffraction (small-angle XRD). Indomethacin (IMC), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent, was loaded into MSNRs as model drug, and the drug-loaded MSNRs resulted in an excellent dissolution-enhancing effect. The cytotoxicity and in vivo pharmacokinetic studies indicated that MSNRs can be applied as a safe and efficient candidate for the delivery of insoluble drugs. The use of MSNs with a rod-like shape, as a drug delivery carrier, will extend the pharmaceutical applications of silica materials.
Highlights
Owing to its convenience and high patient compliance, oral administration has been used widely and is the most accepted and preferred drug delivery pathway [1,2,3]
mesoporous silica nanorods (MSNRs) were prepared by a facile method using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as template through the introduction of an achiral alcohol as a co-structure-directing agent
The use of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), nitrogen adsorption/desorption, and XRD confirmed the synthesis of two types of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) and the effective incorporation of IMC into the mesopores
Summary
Owing to its convenience and high patient compliance, oral administration has been used widely and is the most accepted and preferred drug delivery pathway [1,2,3]. There are still limitations to this form of delivery, and the challenge remains to improve oral bioavailability of Biopharmaceutical Classification System (BCS) II molecules, owing to their low solubility and poor stability in the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract). Many strategies have been proposed to improve the dissolution and bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs, including spray drying [4,5,6], solid dispersions [7,8,9], nanosuspensions [10,11], cryogenic technologies [12,13], and prodrug approaches [14]. It is of great importance to develop various approaches to improve the water-solubility of BCS II drugs
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