Efficient surface modification of silica-alginate nanocarrier as smart drug release platform

A hybrid nanocarrier based on silica-alginate modified by gelatin-folic acid was designed as a pH-sensitive drug delivery system and investigated in the terms of in terms of the amount of doxorubicin loading and release behavior in two different mediums with pH 7.4 and 5.6. The loading content and entrapment efficiency were measured at about 21% and 67%, respectively. The results showed a rapid release of the doxorubicin from the unmodified carrier at initial times (first 24 h). While the use of gelatin-folate modification led to the improvement of the release behavior. Here, the amount of drug released from the silica-alginate carrier after 72 h in a neutral and acidic environment was measured as 82% and 73%, respectively. While using gelatin modification, the amount of released drug decreased to 71% and 63%. These results show that the prepared carrier is sensitive to pH. Furthermore, the cross-linking effect of the gelatin modifier layer on the release pattern was investigated and results indicated the improvement of the release pattern in both acidic and natural media. The findings of this research show the appropriate performance of carriers designed for drug delivery.