Vortex-Mixing Microfluidic Fabrication of Micafungin-Loaded Magnetite-Salicylic Acid-Silica Nanocomposite with Sustained-Release Capacity

• Published in: Materials 2024-12, Vol.17 (23), p.5816
• Main Authors: Mercan, Doina-Antonia, Niculescu, Adelina-Gabriela, Bîrcă, Alexandra Cătălina, Cristea, Diana-Elena, Moroșan, Alina, Tudorache, Dana-Ionela, Purcăreanu, Bogdan, Vasile, Bogdan Ștefan, Radu, Dana, Grigoroscuta, Mihai Alexandru, Hadibarata, Tony, Mihaiescu, Dan Eduard, Grumezescu, Alexandru Mihai
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acids; Analysis; Antifungal agents; Bioavailability; Biocompatibility; Chemical synthesis; Continuous flow; Cyclotron resonance; Drug delivery systems; Drug dosages; Ferric oxide; Fourier transforms; Fungal infections; Fungicides; Health aspects; Infrared spectroscopy; Iron compounds; Iron oxides; Magnetic fields; Magnetite; Mass spectrometry; Medicine; Methods; Microfluidics; Nanocomposites; Nanoparticles; Phenols; Photon correlation spectroscopy; Porous materials; Product introduction; Resonance scattering; Salicylic acid; Shell stability; Silica; Silicon dioxide; Spectrum analysis; Vortices
• ISSN: 1996-1944; 1996-1944
• DOI: 10.3390/ma17235816

Iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized using a vortex microfluidic system and subsequently functionalized with a primary shell of salicylic acid, recognized for its ability to increase the stability and biocompatibility of coated materials. In the second stage, the vortex platform was placed in a magnetic field to facilitate the growth and development of a porous silica shell. The selected drug for this study was micafungin, an antifungal agent well regarded for its effectiveness in combating fungal infections and identified as a priority compound by the World Health Organization (WHO). The resulting nanocomposite system was characterized using various techniques, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). The synthesis method produced nanoparticles with dimensions of 5-7 nm, highlighting the advantages of the chosen approach. A desorption profile was established using a continuous-flow, UV-Vis analysis system, indicating that the bioactive compound was released slowly; after two hours, approximately 50% of the loaded micafungin was detected in the release medium. Furthermore, the results obtained from the FT-ICR MS analysis provided molecular-level confirmation, thereby supporting the release mechanism of micafungin from the nanosystem.