Silica-Coated Magnetic Tragacanth Gum Nanoparticles Crosslinked with Citric Acid for the Loading and Delivery of Ranitidine

A new magnetic nanocomposite was prepared by synthesizing Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles and then coating them with a shell of tragacanth gum (TG) as a natural product modified by citric acid (CA). The prepared Fe3O4@SiO2 @TG-CA nanoparticles were identified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The prepared magnetic nanoparticles were used for loading and delivery of ranitidine, an oral drug. Conditions for drug loading were optimized by a central composite design optimization method. The maximum loading efficiency for ranitidine was 79.3%, obtained at pH 11 and, its in vitro release was gained within 55 min at pH 1.6 in a phosphate buffer medium. The loading capacity of the nanocarrier was dependent on the initial concentration of ranitidine and exceeded 11.4 mg g-1 for a 200 mg l(-1 )solution. The study of adsorption isotherms to describe the interaction of ranitidine with the carrier showed the best fit with Freundlich isotherm. The results showed that the prepared Fe3O4@SiO2 @TG-CA adsorbent, as a non-toxic and low-cost nanocarrier, is quite suitable for drug delivery applications.