Author(s)

Mehrdad Mahkam, Fatemeh Hosseinzadeh, Mohammad Galehassadi

Department of Chemistry, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran.
Department of Chemistry, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran..

The objective of this study is to utilize the pH sensitivity of modified silica nanoparticles (SNIL) by imidazole-based ionic liquid for oral delivery of insulin. In the first time, the imidazole was covalently attached to the 3-trimethoxysily-lpropyl chloride with replacement of all the chlorine atoms. Then, a silica nanoparticle was modified by N-(3-trimeth-oxysilylpropyl) imidazole. The nanocapsule (NCIL) was achieved after the etching of the modified silica nanoparticle template with hydrofluoric acid. The nanoparticles connected through an ionic liquid-like network were characterized by FTIR and SEM. Insulin was entrapped in these carriers and the in vitro release profiles were established separately in both enzyme-free simulated gastric and intestinal fluids (SGF, pH 1) and (SIF, pH 7.4), respectively. When these drug-loaded nanoparticles was placed in physiological buffer solution (pH 7.4), a partial negative surface charge on the modified silica nanoparticle was generated due to the deprotonation of silanol groups, and the strong electrostatic repulsion triggered a sustained release of the loaded molecules.

Silica Nanoparticles; Nanocapsule; pH-Sensitive; Insulin; Oral Drug Delivery

M. Mahkam, F. Hosseinzadeh and M. Galehassadi, "Preparation of Ionic Liquid Functionalized Silica Nanoparticles for Oral Drug Delivery," Journal of Biomaterials and Nanobiotechnology, Vol. 3 No. 3, 2012, pp. 391-395. doi: 10.4236/jbnb.2012.33038.