Synthesis and characterization of mesoporous silica/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) functional hybrid useful for drug delivery

Recent studies indicate the use of mesoporous silica and polymeric sensitive hydrogels as suitable for drug delivery systems due to their specific characteristics. Polymeric hydrogels, such as poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) [P(N-iPAAm)], show volumetric expansion/contraction behaviour at 306 K, which that can be used to develop a thermosensitive drug delivery system. In this study, we report a facile and direct synthesis route to obtain hybrid functional nanosystems based on silica-P(N-iPAAm) by using a neutral surfactant and without any functionalization method and the assessment of its release rate of a model drug. The materials were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and thermal analysis. A release assay with atenolol monitored by UV–Vis spectroscopy was performed for pure SBA-15 and a hybrid system at different temperatures in order to evaluate the influence of the thermosensitive behaviour of the polymer on the release kinetics. The response of the hybrid system as a drug delivery device is influenced by the volumetric contraction of P(N-iPAAm) up to the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) due to phase transition. Above the LCST, drug release depends essentially on the temperature.