3D cubic mesoporous silica microsphere as a carrier for poorly soluble drug carvedilol

The present work was proposed not only to exploit the potential of 3D cage-like mesoporous silica SBA-16 with a well-defined spherical morphology as a carrier for poorly soluble drugs, but also to compare the drug loading and release properties of 3D cubic SBA-16 with that of classic 2D hexagonal MCM-41. SBA-16 microsphere with highly ordered mesostructures was synthesized by a facile method using block co-polymer F127 as template, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as co-template and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as silica source. Carvedilol (CAR), an antihypertensive agent, was used as a model drug and loaded into mesoporous silica via solvent deposition method at drug–silica ratio of 1:3. In vitro dissolution was performed in both simulated intestinal fluid (SIF, pH 6.8) and simulated gastric fluid (SGF, pH 1.2). Of particular interest was that in SIF both MCM-41 and SBA-16 samples exhibited promoted dissolution profile for CAR as compared to its corresponding crystalline form which exhibited poor dissolution behavior. This dissolution-enhancing effect might be due to the non-crystalline state and increased surface area of confined CAR as well as the hydrophilic nature of silica. In comparison with MCM-41, SBA-16 displayed a more rapid release profile in both SIF and SGF, which may be ascribed to the 3D interconnected pore networks and the highly accessible surface areas. The suitability of the utilization of SBA-16 microsphere as carriers will open new avenues for the formulation of poorly soluble drugs.

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► Simplified synthesis of 3D cubic SBA-16 with well-defined spherical morphology.
► The feasibility of the produced SBA-16 microspheres as drug vehicles.
► Comparison between SBA-16 and classic 2D channel-like MCM-41 for drug delivery.
► The improved delivery of carvedilol by mesoporous materials.