دکتر بهروز موحدی

Aim: In this work, to improve the solubility and bioavailability of the rosuvastatin (RSV) drug, chitosan-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (CS-MSNs) as a drug delivery system were fabricated. Methods: To do this, first MSNs with a maximum specific surface area were synthesized from sodium silicate as silica source and different molar ratios of cethyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and pluronics (P123, PEO20 PPO17 PEO20) as surfactants via the sol-gel process. Then, the synthesized MSNs were coated by CS polymer with the help of (3-glycidoxypropyl)methyldi-ethoxysilane (GPTMS) as a linker between MSNs and CS. Subsequently, the RSV drug was loaded into the synthesized CS-coated MSNs. The products were characterized by different techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The in vitro drug release profile of the fabricated DDS was evaluated in a typical phosphate-buf-fered saline (PBS) solution at different pH values (i.e., 4, 6, and 7.4) for 48 h. To assess the cyto-toxicity, the viability of the human fibroblast cells exposed to the fabricated DDS was also ex-amined. Results: The results showed that at an optimal molar ratio of P123/CTAB, the amorphous MSNs with a specific surface area of about 1080 m2/g, a pore diameter of 4 nm, a pore volume of 1.1 cm3/g, and an average size of about 30 nm were synthesized. Also, the presence of all the compo-nents, including the CS coating and the RSV drug, was confirmed in the structure of the fabricated DDS by FTIR analysis. Due to the pH-responsive feature of the CS coating, the RSV drug release from the fabricated DDS showed a reasonable environmental response; as the pH value of the PBS solution decreased, the degree of drug release increased. Conclusion: The CS coating enhanced the cytotoxicity of the fabricated DDS and led to sustain-able drug release behavior, which would provide a beneficial approach for drug delivery technolo-gy. © 2022 Bentham Science Publishers.

Polycaprolactone/chitosan core/shell nanofibrous mat fabricated by electrospinning process as carrier for rosuvastatin drug

( Article . )

Yousefi p., , Dini, G., Movahedi, B., Vaezifar, S., Mehdikhani, M.

Polymer Bulletin (14362449)79(3)pp. 1627-1645

In this study, for the first time, core/shell nanofibrous mats of polycaprolactone (PCL) and chitosan (CS) as a carrier for the rosuvastatin (RSV) drug were fabricated. To do this, the electrospinning technique using a two-fluid stainless steel coaxial spinneret consisted of two concentrically arranged needles was used. The CS layer as a shell contained 5% (w/w) of the RSV drug. The fabricated nanofibrous mats were characterized by different techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), tensile testing, and hydrophilicity measurements. Then, the fabricated core/shell nanofibrous mats containing the RSV drug as a drug delivery system (DDS) were used to evaluate the in vitro drug release behavior in a typical phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution at different pH values (i.e., 4, 6, and 7.4) for 48 h. Moreover, the corresponding drug release mechanism was investigated. To study the cytotoxicity, the viability of the human fibroblast cells exposed to the fabricated DDS was examined. The results showed that under optimum electrospinning conditions, the average diameter of the PCL core was about 120 nm, and the thickness of the CS shell was about 60 nm. Also, the presence of all the components was confirmed in the structure of the fabricated DDS. Moreover, the addition of the RSV drug had no significant effect on the mechanical properties of the PCL/CS core/shell nanofibrous mats. Due to the pH-responsive feature of the CS shell, the RSV drug release from the fabricated DDS showed a reasonable environmental response as the pH value of the PBS solution decreased, the degree of drug release correspondingly increased. It was also found that the prolonged release of the RSV drug from the fabricated DDS followed the Korsmeyer–Peppas kinetic model with the Fickian diffusion mechanism at all the pH conditions. The CS layer enhanced the cytotoxicity and hydrophilicity of the fabricated DDS and led to the controllable drug release behavior, which would provide a beneficial approach for drug delivery technology. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE part of Springer Nature.

2021