Synthesis, characterization, and application of external gelation of sodium alginate nanoparticles in molecular imprinting for separation and drug delivery of tenoxicam

In this study, alginates, as the most versatile polymers, were employed to construct selective and effective molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) as a solid phase extraction adsorber for the estimation of tenoxicam (TNX) in pharmaceutical formulations. Based on the non-covalent approach, the polymerization reaction was performed with sodium alginate as a monomer, calcium chloride as a crosslinking reagent, and TNX as a template. The formed polymer was characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The distribution ratio results showed that the particle formed ranges were less than 100 nm. To evaluate binding capacity, batch binding assays were utilized, and the results were monitored using UV–Vis spectroscopy at 369 nm. The drug delivery of the imprinted surface was studied in different acidic media that mimic the gastric medium, intestine and blood plasma. The results show that the best way to deliver drugs is in the acidic environment of the stomach.