Mesoporous Silica Modified with Polydopamine and Zinc Ions as a Potential Carrier in the Controlled Release of Mercaptopurine.

Mercaptopurine is one of the drugs used in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. A problem with mercaptopurine therapy is its low bioavailability. This problem can be solved by preparing the carrier that releases the drug in lower doses but over a longer period of time. In this work, polydopamine-modified mesoporous silica with adsorbed zinc ions was used as a drug carrier. SEM images confirm the synthesis of spherical carrier particles. The particle size is close to 200 nm, allowing for its use in intravenous delivery. The zeta potential values for the drug carrier indicate that it is not prone to agglomeration. The effectiveness of drug sorption is indicated by a decrease in the zeta potential and new bands in the FT-IR spectra. The drug was released from the carrier for 15 h, so all of the drug can be released during circulation in the bloodstream. The release of the drug from the carrier was sustained, and no 'burst release' was observed. The material also released small amounts of zinc, which are important in the treatment of the disease because these ions can prevent some of the adverse effects of chemotherapy. The results obtained are promising and have great application potential.

Spectroscopic, Thermal, Microbiological, and Antioxidant Study of Alkali Metal 2-Hydroxyphenylacetates.

The structural, spectral, thermal, and biological properties of hydroxyphenylacetic acid and lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, and cesium 2-hydroxyphenylacetates were analyzed by means of infrared spectroscopy FT-IR, electronic absorption spectroscopy UV-VIS, nuclear magnetic resonance 1H and 13C NMR, thermogravimetric analysis (TG/DSC), and quantum-chemical calculations at B3LYP/6-311++G** level. Moreover, the antioxidant (ABTS, FRAP, and CUPRAC assays), antibacterial (against E. coli, K. aerogenes, P. fluorescens, and B. subtilis) and antifungal (against C. albicans) properties of studied compounds were measured. The effect of alkali metal ions on the structure, thermal, and biological properties of 2-hydroxyphenylacetates was discussed.

Preparation of hybrid materials for controlled drug release.

Authors obtained hybrid organic-inorganic materials applied in sustained drug delivery. The materials are ibuprofen as a model drug, hydroxyapatite and three different polymers as supports. Influence of the type of employed polymer, an inorganic carrier, on the properties and drug release profiles was estimated. Flory-Huggins interaction parameters, the dispersive component of surface free energy and acid-base characteristic of the surface were used to assess the behavior of the composites in terms of drug release. The experiments were carried out with the use of inverse gas chromatography (IGC), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and ultraviolet (UV) techniques. FTIR and ATR-FTIR spectra were collected. The values of [Formula: see text] parameter obtained for all investigated materials (excluding poly(L-lactide) (PLA2)) indicate low or medium activity. The strongest interactions (the lowest values of the Flory-Huggins [Formula: see text] parameter) are observed for PLA2 composition, while the weakest interactions for systems with polyethylene glycol (PEG). Finally, drug release profiles are shown. For materials prepared with Eudragit® (EUD) and PLA, the release of drug was much smaller, which corresponds to lower values of Flory-Huggins parameter. The executed experiments allowed the estimation of the properties of prepared composites. Prepared materials present properties required in sustained drug release and may be successfully applied as drug delivery systems.