Effect of amine and carboxyl functionalization of sub-micrometric MCM-41 spheres on controlled release of cisplatin

Mesoporous MCM-41 type silica spheres having a sub-micrometer size were synthesized following an adaptation of Stöber's method. This parent material was then functionalized with 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane and with 3-propanonitrile triethoxysilane, followed by oxidation of the cyano-group to the corresponding carboxy-group. After proper characterization, the samples were loaded with cisplatin and subjected to in vitro tests in order to obtain the corresponding drug release profile. The carboxy-functionalized MCM-41 sample was found to show a release kinetics that should facilitate controlled drug delivery over a significantly larger time period (about 140 h) than both, unmodified MCM-41 and amino-functionalized MCM-41 samples.