Shadi Zolfagharian - Nano-Biopolymers Research Laboratory, School of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Payam Zahedi - Nano-Biopolymers Research Laboratory, School of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Mehdi Shafiee Ardestani - Department of Radiopharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

For a polymeric hydrogel, as a drug carrier, the release behavior of specific drugs is one of the main challenges. This work aims to prepare sodium alginate (SA)-based nanocomposite hydrogels containing ۵-fluorouracil (۵-FU, ۱ mg/mL) and halloysite nanotubes (HNTs, SA: HNT weight ratio ۱: ۱). In this regard, the functional groups and drug release of the samples were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopies, respectively. These evaluations were carried out on the nanocomposite hydrogel samples in presence of untreated HNTs and those treated with sulfuric acid (۱ M). The FTIR results showed that the characteristic peak at the wavenumber of ۳۶۲۵.۱۷ cm-۱ corresponding to Al۲ [O―H] was disappeared due to the reaction between the hydroxyl groups of acid and Al+۳ through the HNT lumens. In the following, by comparing the ۵-FU release profiles of the samples, it has been found that the treated HNT provided a more drug control release rather than the untreated ones in which the ultimate release was calculated about ۹۰% during ۱۰۰ h. In conclusion, the obtained results revealed that the treated HNT-loaded SA nanocomposite hydrogel containing ۵-FU was promising carriers used for drug delivery applications potentially.

Nanocomposite hydrogel, Sodium alginate, Halloysite, Fluorouracil, Drug delivery