SBA-type mesoporous materials with cylindrical and spherical structures for the controlled loading and release of ibuprofen

Abstract

In this work, three kinds of mesoporous silica materials: SBA-15, SBA-16, and DIM (mixture of two type of mesopores) with different morphologies and array of mesopores (hexagonal, cubic, and hexagonal-cubic, respectively) were prepared, characterized and employed as ibuprofen (IBU) carriers to study the influence of mesoporous structure on drug delivery property. The results obtained indicated that the amount of loaded IBU decreased in the following order: DIM > SBA-15 > SBA-16. The drug release profiles showed two stages, beginning with (a) a fast medicament liberation during the first hours, followed by (b) a slower drug release until the end of the test. Also, these results indicate that materials with different morphology presented different loading and release behaviors, thus, we could be able to control the drug release rate. The materials with two different types of pore permit better diffusion of the drug molecule and therefore lead to a higher loading and faster releasing than that of only one kind mesoporous in this case, SBA-15 y SBA-16. Based on these results, we can design mesoporous materials according to the dosage and the delivery kinetics of a specific pharmacological molecule.