MESOPOROUS SILICA MATRICES AS TRANSPORT VEHICLE AND CONTROLLED RELEASE OF THE CLINDAMYCIN DRUG

Abstract

Purpose: The objectives of this project include the preparation and characterization of ordered mesoporous silica systems containing clindamycin molecules for a possible application as drug delivery. Methods: Mesoporous silica matrices were synthesized with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide surfactant as the directing-structure agent and tetraethyl orthosilicate Si(OEt) 4 as the silica source. The clindamycin molecules were encapsulated into the mesochannels using a simple wet impregnation method in ethanol. The final suspension was then centrifuged and the solid was washed with ethanol and dried under reduced pressure. The materials were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and ultraviolet visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). Result: XRD results exhibit diffraction peaks at small angles (1.2° < 2θ < 5.0°) that can be assigned to the typical 2D hexagonal p6mm structure for the silica matrices before and after the impregnation process, indicating that the structural integrity of the mesoporous host was not changed by this incorporation. In addition, the characteristic peaks related to the drug were also observed in the silica matrices at 5 < 2θ < 40° range. The UV-Vis results presented a band at around 210 nm assigned to the clindamycin molecules was observed in the post-encapsulated silica matrices, indicating the successful of the incorporation process. Conclusion: From the results obtained, it was confirmed that the clindamycin molecules were well encapsulated into the mesoporous silica matrices, suggesting a promising application of this system as a drug delivery.