Investigation on bioactivity and cytotoxicity of mesoporous nano-composite MCM-48/hydroxyapatite for ibuprofen drug delivery

A novel in situ synthesis is presented of a hydroxyapatite composite with the mesoporous silicate MCM-48 with potential applications as a drug delivery agent. The structure and properties of this nanocomposite, investigated by a number of techniques including XRD, SEM and TEM, show the intergrowth of the hydroxyapatite particles with the silica structure. The bioactivity of the new material was determined by measuring the decrease in the calcium ion concentration of simulated body fluid (SBF) after soaking the nanocomposite, while the uptake of ibuprofen on MCM-48 and MCM-48/HAp composite from ethanol was monitored by UV spectroscopy at 222 nm which was also used to monitor the release of ibuprofen into SBF, MTT assay was used to assess effect of the sample on MG68 cell live proliferation. The results confirm the successful synthesis of a MCM-48/hydroxyapatite nanocomposite and its potential biomedical applications as a bioactive ceramic and as a drug delivery agent with a higher rate of ibuprofen release compared to MCM-48.