Mesoporous silica nanotubes incorporating with CdS quantum dots for controlled release of ibuprofen

Mesoporous silica nanotubes (SNTs) and amine-functionalized SNTs (MSNTs) have been successfully synthesized and subsequently functionalized with blue fluorescent CdS quantum dots. The comparative study for several kinds of nanotube materials for the storage of ibuprofen indicated that the drug loading amount in CdS-incorporated MSNTs (CdS-MSNTs) could reach up to 740 mg/g silica, similar to that in as-prepared SNTs (762 mg/g silica) and MSNTs (775 mg/g silica). Drug release studies in simulated body fluid revealed that the loaded ibuprofen released from amine-functionalized systems at a significantly lower release rate as compared to that from amine-free systems, and the incorporation of CdS quantum dots nearly had no effect on the ibuprofen release process. Further study on the ibuprofen release from CdS-MSNTs in other media i.e. borate buffer saline, pure water and normal saline indicated that CdS-MSNTs are pH and ion sensitive drug carriers, which should facilitate controlled drug delivery and disease therapy.