M. Afrashi, D. Semnani, Z. Talebi,
Volume 38, Issue 2 (Journal of Advanced Materials-Summer 2019)
Abstract
In this study, adsorption of fluconazole on silica aerogel was performed successfully by the immersion method in the 1% solution of fluconazole-ethanol at the ambient condition and without using the supercritical method. The hydrophobic and hydrophilic silica aerogels were synthesized by the two-stage sol-gel method and dried at the ambient temperature. This method had most of drug loading at 24 h. It was 1.92% and 1.98% for the hydrophilic and hydrophobic silica aerogels, respectively. Physical properties of the synthesized aerogels were studied by the nitrogen absorption and desorption tests. The presence of fluconazole and the chemical structure of the samples were determined by fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). As well, the loading and release of the drug were investigated using a spectrophotometer. The results showed the structure of the synthesized aerogels had a pore diameter of 6-8 nm and a surface area of about 800-100 m2/g. The study of the drug release also revealed that the release rate of fluconazole in the hydrophilic silica aerogel was higher than that of the hydrophobic sample.
N. Poursharifi, D. Semnani, P. Soltani, S. Amanpour,
Volume 38, Issue 4 (Journal of Advanced Materials-Winter 2020)
Abstract
In this study, seven-layer nanofiber structures consisting of polycaprolactone/ chitosan polymers loaded with methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil anti-cancer drugs, for controlled drug delivery, were produced and evaluated. For this purpose, the second, fourth and sixth layers were loaded with drug and placed between the drug-free layers. The surface morphology of drug-free and drug-loaded nanofibers was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) was used to study their chemical structure. The drug release rate in phosphate buffered saline (pH=7.4) and the released drug concentration were measured by spectrophotometry. Mechanical properties of single- and multi-layered samples were also investigated. SEM images showed formation of uniform and beadless fibers. FTIR spectrum confirmed presence of the drugs in the polymer mixture with no interaction. It was found that by increasing the chitosan content, a brittle structure with decreased elongation is formed. The release behavior of methotrexate and 5-Fluoracil drugs in neutral pH environment for 26 days was evaluated and the results exhibited a slow and sustained release.
