Organic Inorganic Hybrid Materials Synthesized via Sol–Gel for Controlled Drug Delivery

The aim of the present work is the synthesis of organic-inorganic hybrid (OIH) materials by means of the sol-gel technique for controlled release of anti-inflammatory agents. The investigated materials consist of a silica (SiO2)-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) OIH in which indomethacin (SiO2/PCL/IND) or ketoprofen (SiO2/PCL/KET) are embedded. Two OIH matrices are prepared by adding 6 and 12 wt% of PCL, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirms that all the synthesized samples are OIHs. Moreover, the bioactivity of the materials is evaluated verifying the hydroxyapatite present on their surfaces by SEM microscopy, after soaking in a simulated body fluid (SBF) solution. Subsequently, the release kinetic of the two drugs from the SiO2/PCL matrix is studied recording the amount of drug released in SBF with the time by means of UV-vis spectroscopy. The results show that the drug release depends on the PCL content and the drug molecule structure.