Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology

, Volume 49, Issue 1, pp 12–18 | Cite as

Biodegradability of sol–gel silica microparticles for drug delivery

  • Kim S. Finnie
  • Daniel J. Waller
  • Francois L. Perret
  • Anwen M. Krause-Heuer
  • Hui Q. Lin
  • John V. Hanna
  • Christophe J. Barbé
Fast Track Communication

Abstract

The biodegradability of porous sol–gel silica microparticles in physiological buffers has been investigated using a USP4 flow-through dissolution tester. In the open configuration, which most closely models in-vivo conditions, the particles dissolved rapidly at pH 7.4, with a rate dependent on the surface area and media flow rate. In the closed configuration, the fastest dissolving 4 mg silica sample was almost completely dissolved in 100 mL of buffer after 36 h. The initial dissolution rates appeared relatively linear but dropped off as dissolved SiO2 concentrations approached 20–25 ppm. Addition of serum proteins acted to slow dissolution by 20–30%, suggesting a slower degradation in vivo. Silica microparticles administered for controlled release drug delivery would therefore be expected to be eliminated relatively rapidly from the body, depending on the sample size and local fluid flow conditions.

Keywords

Biodegradability Encapsulation Drug delivery Dissolution Microparticles 

Notes

Acknowledgements

The authors thank David Cassidy and Elizabeth Drabarek of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation for sample characterisation, and Dr Sam Knight, of CeramiSphere, for advice concerning the dissolution tests. We are grateful to Eka Chemicals for the gift of Bindzil 30/360 colloidal silica.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2008

Authors and Affiliations

  • Kim S. Finnie
    • 1
  • Daniel J. Waller
    • 1
  • Francois L. Perret
    • 1
  • Anwen M. Krause-Heuer
    • 1
  • Hui Q. Lin
    • 2
  • John V. Hanna
    • 2
  • Christophe J. Barbé
    • 1
  1. 1.CeramiSphere Pty LtdMenaiAustralia
  2. 2.Australian Nuclear Science and Technology OrganisationMenaiAustralia

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