Mesoporous silica nanoparticles as vehicles for drug delivery

Silica-based materials such as mesoporous silica nanoparticle MCM-41 and hollow mesoporous silica have been synthesized at room temperature. Several characterization techniques such as N₂ adsorption-desorption analysis, SEM and FTIR have been employed to assess the formation of the nanoparticles. Rifampicin, commonly used in tuberculosis treatment, was selected as the target drug to assess the ability of the two nanoparticles to host this antibiotic. Following the loading of rifampicin on the particle surface, the dissolution behaviour of rifampicin in a media was investigated. Surface characterizations show HMS exhibits higher surface area as well as pore size and volume compared to MCM-41. However, rifampicin was not attached on the latter particles until it was modified with APTES. HMS particles store more rifampicin molecules on the particle surface than the modified MCM-41. The in-vitro drug release was investigated with buffer phosphate (pH=7.4) and the results shown that the rifampicin-loaded HMS particles were capable of releasing 18% rifampicin content after 77 h. Further investigation was necessary to support the promising application of mesoporous silica nanoparticles for pulmonary drug delivery.