Two types of mesoporous materials, MCM-41 and MCM-48, were functionalized by the soft-template method using (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) as a modifying agent. The obtained mesoporous silica materials were loaded with trans-ferulic acid (FA). In order to establish the morphology and structure of mesoporous materials, a series of specific techniques were used such as: X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). We monitored the in vitro release of the loaded FA at two different pH values, by using simulated gastric fluid (SGF) and simulated intestinal fluid (SIF). Additionally, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 and Candida albicans ATCC 10231 were used to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of FA loaded mesoporous silica materials. In conclusion such functionalized mesoporous materials can be employed as controlled release systems for polyphenols extracted from natural sources.
Keywords: (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane; antimicrobial activity; controlled release; mesoporous silica; trans-ferulic acid.