Resveratrol is a natural active ingredient found in plants, which is a polyphenolic compound and has a variety of pharmaceutical uses. Resveratrol-loaded TEMPO-oxidized cellulose aerogel (RLTA) was prepared using a freeze-drying method, employing high speed homogenization followed by rapid freezing with liquid nitrogen. RLTAs were designed at varying drug-cellulose aerogel ratios (1:2, 2:3, 3:2, and 2:1). It could be seen via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) that Res integrated into TEMPO-oxidized cellulose (TC) at different ratios, which changed its aggregation state and turned it into a short rod-like structure. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra confirmed that the RLTAs had the characteristic peaks of TC and Res. In addition, X-ray diffraction (XRD) demonstrated that the grain size of RLTA was obviously smaller than that of pure Res. RLTAs also had excellent stability in both simulated gastric fluid and phosphate buffer solution. The drug release rate was initially completed within 5 h under a loading rate of 30.7 wt%. The results of an MTT assay showed the low toxicity and good biocompatibility of the RLTAs. TC aerogel could be a promising drug carrier that may be widely used in designing and preparing novel biomedicine.
Keywords: TEMPO-oxidized cellulose; aerogel; drug carrier; resveratrol.