Fluconazole adsorption and release study using KIT-6 for targeted and controlled drug delivery system

ABSTRACT

This study presents the development of a mesoporous silica, i.e. KIT-6 synthesised using the hydrothermal technique, followed by the loading of fluconazole as the model drug using the post-impregnation method. The results of drug entrapment studies exposed that 76% of the drug was entrapped in the silica matrix. The drug release rate was investigated in phosphate buffer with pH = 6.8. The fluconazole-loaded KIT-6 prolonged the drug’s release for 12 hours, ensuring Higuchi’s square root kinetics, with diffusion via the matrix as the releasing mechanism, which revealed that the release rate was under control. The MTT assay-based biocompatibility experiments on Vero cells show that the pure and drug-loaded composite systems have minimal cytotoxicity. Hence, drug delivery and adsorption may be facilitated, and repeated administration of drugs is reduced by a controlled drug release rate using the prepared silicious composite.

KEYWORDS:

• KIT-6
• drug entrapment
• fluconazole
• hydrothermal method
• composite

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Tapan Kumar Ghosh, Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, for providing the SAXRD technique. Centre for Advanced Research (CAR), Dr. Harisingh Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar (M.P.) for providing HRTEM, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Central Instrumentation Laboratory, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology, Hisar for providing their FESEM EDX facility. We also acknowledge the Department of Chemistry, IIT Roorkee for providing the BET analysis setup used for this study. The cytotoxicity was performed at the Department of Animal Bio-Technology, Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Hisar, Haryana.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest to declare by the authors.