Synthesis of sol-gel mesoporous silica materials providing a slow release of doxorubicin

Samples of mesoporous base-catalysed silica xerogel materials made by the sol-gel process were impregnated with an anticancer drug--doxorubicin, followed by different times of ageing at room temperature. The effect of ageing time on the physical and structural properties as well as sorption-desorption of the drug was investigated. The obtained results suggest an inverse relationship with a solid density and surface area increasing as the pore size and volume decrease during ageing time. These results also revealed the effect of ageing time on the efficiency of sorption-desorption of the drug. An increase in ageing time results in an increase of the efficiency of drug sorption and a decrease in the rate of drug release.