Polymer-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles for controlled release of the prodrug sulfasalazine

MCM-41 and SBA-15 silicas with particle sizes around 100 nm and 400 nm, respectively, were synthesized. The initial silica materials were modified with amino groups by post-synthesis method. Incipient wetness impregnation was applied for loading of prodrug sulfasalazine. The non-loaded and drug loaded mesoporous silica samples were characterized by XRD, TEM, SEM, N-2 physisorption, thermal analysis, and ATR FT-IR spectroscopy. The nanoparticles were post-coated twice by two different layers of polymers (Eudragit RL and Eudragit S), one of them being a pH sensitive one (Eudragit S). The functionalized and polymer coated mesoporous systems are suitable oral drug delivery carriers providing an opportunity to modify the release properties of the loaded drug.