Thesis supervisor: István Fábián
Location of studies (in Hungarian): University of Debrecen, Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Inorganic Analytical Chemistry D 504, D-509, D-524 laboratories Abbreviation of location of studies: D504
Description of the research topic:
Aerogels have excellent adsorption properties due to their open mesoporous structure and huge specific surface area (500 – 1000 m2/g). They are promising platforms for drug delivery applications, due to their high loading capacity, the enhancement of drug stability after adsorption and the increased bioavailability of active ingredients. The research program is mainly focused on silica and biopolymer (e.g. starch, alginate, pectin, gelatin) aerogels. [1] Recently, their biocompatible hybrids have also been synthesized and tested. [2, 3]
The most important factors affecting the rate of drug release from aerogels are the interaction of the drug with the backbone, the hydration properties of the carrier and the structural changes (e.g. erosion, swelling, gelation) of the aerogel upon hydration. Each of these properties can be tuned by changing the composition and/or the surface functionality of the aerogel backbone. Thus, by understanding the contribution of the above listed physico-chemical factors to the release kinetics, the systematic design of the carriers can be achieved.
NMR cryoporometry, diffusiometry and relaxometry are useful tools to study the solvation properties and the structural changes of aerogels both in water and in non-polar solvents. [4,5] It is also demonstrated how the results obtained with these methods can help to develop realistic mechanistic models to describe the kinetics of drug release.
Three aerogel based drug delivery systems are currently under investigation: i) silica-gelatin hybrids with varying gelatin content for rapid and sustained release of adsorbed drugs, [5] ii) stimuli (collagenase activity) responsive methotrexate carriers from silica-gelatin, [6] and iii) redox sensitive Fe(III)-alginate aerogels for oral drug delivery. [7]
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