Release of curcumin incorporated in albumin loaded silica

Abstract

In this work, we have prepared a new drug delivery system consisting of silica (SiO2) as the main carrier, while albumin acted as the co–carrier in order to control the release of drug. The system was prepared by simple wet chemical method. The efficiency of the designed system was tested in the delivery of a hydrophobic drug, curcumin through an in–vitro procedure. The results show that the release percentage of curcumin was increased with the presence of the co–carrier. The intermolecular interaction of curcumin with albumin and the competition between them to locate on the surface of silica affect the release system. Besides, the curcumin release amount was corresponded to the composition of the silica carrier in the systems. Consequently, the potential for silica/albumin use as a drug carrier was ascertained.