A Comparative Loading and Release Study of Vancomycin from a Green Mesoporous Silica

Georgiana Dolete; Bogdan Purcăreanu; Dan Eduard Mihaiescu; Denisa Ficai; Ovidiu-Cristian Oprea; Alexandra Cătălina Bîrcă; Cristina Chircov; Bogdan Ștefan Vasile; Gabriel Vasilievici; Anton Ficai; Ecaterina Andronescu

doi:10.3390/molecules27175589

A Comparative Loading and Release Study of Vancomycin from a Green Mesoporous Silica

Molecules. 2022 Aug 30;27(17):5589. doi: 10.3390/molecules27175589.

Authors

Georgiana Dolete^{1

2}, Bogdan Purcăreanu³, Dan Eduard Mihaiescu⁴, Denisa Ficai^{2

5}, Ovidiu-Cristian Oprea^{2

5

6}, Alexandra Cătălina Bîrcă^{1

2}, Cristina Chircov^{1

2}, Bogdan Ștefan Vasile^{1

2}, Gabriel Vasilievici⁷, Anton Ficai^{1

2

6}, Ecaterina Andronescu^{1

2

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Science and Engineering of Oxide Materials and Nanomaterials, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies, University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, Gh. Polizu 1-7, 011061 Bucharest, Romania.
² National Center for Micro and Nanomaterials, University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, Splaiul Independentei 313, 060042 Bucharest, Romania.
³ BIOTEHNOS SA, Gorunului Street 3-5, 075100 Otopeni, Romania.
⁴ Department of Organic Chemistry "Costin Nenițescu", Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies, University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, Gh. Polizu 1-7, 011061 Bucharest, Romania.
⁵ Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, and Electrochemistry, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies, University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, Gh. Polizu 1-7, 011061 Bucharest, Romania.
⁶ Academy of Romanian Scientists, Ilfov Street 3, 050044 Bucharest, Romania.
⁷ National Institute for Research & Development in Chemistry and Petrochemistry-ICECHIM, Splaiul Independentei 202, 060021 Bucharest, Romania.

Abstract

Since its first use as a drug delivery system, mesoporous silica has proven to be a surprisingly efficient vehicle due to its porous structure. Unfortunately, most synthesis methods are based on using large amounts of surfactants, which are then removed by solvent extraction or heat treatment, leading to an undesired environmental impact because of the generated by-products. Hence, in the present study, we followed the synthesis of a silica material with a wormhole-like pore arrangement, using two FDA-approved substances as templates, namely Tween-20 and starch. As far as we know, it is the first study using the Tween-20/starch combo as a template for mesoporous silica synthesis. Furthermore, we investigated whether the obtained material using this novel synthesis had any potential in using it as a DDS. The material was further analyzed by XRD, TEM, FT-IR, N₂ adsorption/desorption, and DLS to investigate its physicochemical features. Vancomycin was selected as the active molecule based on the extensive research engaged towards improving its bioavailability for oral delivery. The drug was loaded onto the material by using three different approaches, assuming its full retention in the final system. Thermal analysis confirmed the successful loading of vancomycin by all means, and pore volume significantly decreased upon loading, especially in the case of the vacuum-assisted method. All methods showed a slower release rate compared to the same amount of the pure drug. Loadings by physical mixing and solvent evaporation released the whole amount of the drug in 140 min, and the material loaded by the vacuum-assisted method released only 68.2% over the same period of time, leading us to conclude that vancomycin was adsorbed deeper inside the pores. The kinetic release of the three systems followed the Higuchi model for the samples loaded by physical mixing and vacuum-assisted procedures, while the solvent evaporation loading method was in compliance with the first-order model.

Keywords: drug delivery; mesoporous silica; physical mixing; solvent evaporation; vacuum-assisted loading; wormhole porosity.

MeSH terms

Adsorption
Drug Carriers / chemistry
Polysorbates
Porosity
Silicon Dioxide* / chemistry
Solubility
Solvents
Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
Starch
Vancomycin*

Substances

Drug Carriers
Polysorbates
Solvents
Vancomycin
Silicon Dioxide
Starch

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the project: „Compozit multifunctional pe baza de matrice silica-organica transpozabila pentru inovatii de produse si formulari particularizate in industria alimentara si farmaceutica/ Multifunctional composite based on transposable silica-organic matrix for product innovations and customized formulations in the food and pharmaceutical industry”, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGICAL PROJECT FOR MORE DEVELOPED REGIONS (Bucharest- Ilfov), SMIS 122027, Contract no. 257/09.06.2020.