Mesoporous silica materials are promising nanocarriers for the development of drug delivery systems. In this study, the influence\nof pore size, volume, surface area, and doping the silica framework on the release kinetics of a model drug, metoprolol, has been\nstudied. 20% or 50% wt. therapeutic agent was loaded into the carrier mesopores through incipient wetness impregnation. The\ncarriers and drug-loaded samples have been characterized by small- and wide-angle X-ray diffraction, FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning\nelectron microscopy, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms. The in vitro release profiles have been fitted using a threeparameter\nkinetic model and they have been explained in terms of the release rate during the burst and sustained release stages and\nthe fraction of drug molecules released during the burst stage. The silica framework doping with aluminum was found to decrease\nthe amount of drug released in the burst stage, without affecting the other kinetic parameters. The therapeutic agent release rates\ndepend mainly on the pore size and volume of the mesoporous carriers and drug-loaded samples.
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