Facile Synthesis of Three Types of Mesoporous Silica Microspheres as Drug Delivery Carriers and their Sustained-Release Properties

Background: Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) are one of the most promising carriers for drug delivery. MSNs have been widely used in pharmaceutical research as drug carriers because of their large pore volume, high surface area, excellent biocompatibility, nontoxicity, ease to functionalize, and sustained release effects. MSNs have attracted much attention during drug delivery because of their special structure. Objective: The present study aimed to synthesize mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (DMSN), and hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSN) through facile methods, and to compare the drug release properties of nano-porous silica with different pore structures as a stroma for PUE drug. Methods: MSN, DMSN, and HMSN were characterized by SEM, TEM, FT-IR, nitrogen adsorptiondesorption isotherms, XRD, and zeta potential methods. Subsequently, puerarin (PUE) was used as the active ingredient and loaded into the three mesoporous materials, respectively. And, the drug delivery behavior was measured in PBS solution with different pH values. The sustained-release properties of MSN, DMSN, and HMSN loaded with PUE were investigated. Finally, the biocompatibility and stability of MSN, DMSN, and HMSN were studied by MTT assay and hemolysis assay. Results: Our results showed that MSN, DMSN, and HMSN were successfully synthesized and the three types of mesoporous silica nanoparticles had higher drug loading and encapsulation efficiency. According to the first-order release equation curve and Higuchi equation parameters, the results showed that the PUE-loaded MSN, DMSN, and HMSN exhibited sustained-release properties. Finally, MTT and hemolysis methods displayed that MSN, DMSN, and HMSN had good biocompatibility and stability. Conclusion: In this study, MSN, DMSN, and HMSN were successfully synthesized, and to compare the drug release properties of nano-porous silica with different pore structures as a stroma for PUE drug, we provided a theoretical and practical basis for the application of PUE.