Preparation and characterization of silica xerogels as carriers for drugs

The aim of the present study was to utilize the sol-gel method to synthesize different forms of xerogel matrices for drugs and to investigate how the synthesis conditions and solubility of drugs influence the change of the profile of drug release and the structure of the matrices. Silica xerogels doped with drugs were prepared by the sol-gel method from a hydrolyzed tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) solution containing two model compounds: diclofenac diethylamine, (DD)--a water-soluble drug or ibuprofen, (IB)--a water insoluble drug. Two procedures were used for the synthesis of sol-gel derived materials: one-step procedure (the sol-gel reaction was carried out under acidic or basic conditions) and the two-step procedure (first, hydrolysis of TEOS was carried out under acidic conditions, and then condensation of silanol groups was carried out under basic conditions) in order to obtain samples with altered microstructures. In vitro release studies of drugs revealed a similar release profile in two steps: an initial diffusion-controlled release followed by a slower release rate. In all the cases studied, the released amount of DD was higher and the released time was shorter compared with IB for the same type of matrices. The released amount of drugs from two-step prepared xerogels was always lower than that from one-step base-catalyzed xerogels. One-step acid-catalyzed xerogels proved unsuitable as the carriers for the examined drugs.