am4059217_si_001.pdf (1.48 MB)
Evaluation of Dysprosia Aerogels as Drug Delivery Systems: A Comparative Study with Random and Ordered Mesoporous Silicas
journal contribution
posted on 2014-04-09, 00:00 authored by Abhishek Bang, Anand
G. Sadekar, Clayton Buback, Brice Curtin, Selin Acar, Damir Kolasinac, Wei Yin, David A. Rubenstein, Hongbing Lu, Nicholas Leventis, Chariklia Sotiriou-LeventisBiocompatible dysprosia aerogels
were synthesized from DyCl3·6H2O and were
reinforced mechanically with
a conformal nano-thin-polyurea coating applied over their skeletal
framework. The random mesoporous space of dysprosia aerogels was filled
up to about 30% v/v with paracetamol, indomethacin, or insulin, and
the drug release rate was monitored spectrophotometrically in phosphate
buffer (pH = 7.4) or 0.1 M aqueous HCl. The drug uptake and release
study was conducted comparatively with polyurea-crosslinked random
silica aerogels, as well as with as-prepared (native) and polyurea-crosslinked
mesoporous silica perforated with ordered 7 nm tubes in hexagonal
packing. Drug uptake from random nanostructures (silica or dysprosia)
was higher (30–35% w/w) and the release rate was slower (typically
>20 h) relative to ordered silica (19–21% w/w, <1.5 h,
respectively).
Drug release data from dysprosia aerogels were fitted with a flux
equation consisting of three additive terms that correspond to drug
stored successively in three hierarchical pore sites on the skeletal
framework. The high drug uptake and slow release from dysprosia aerogels,
in combination with their low toxicity, strong paramagnetism, and
the possibility for neutron activation render those materials attractive
multifunctional vehicles for site-specific drug delivery.