Tracking Drug Loading Capacities of Calcium Silicate Hydrate Carrier: A Comparative X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structures Study.

Mesoporous spheres of calcium silicate hydrate (MS-CSH) have been prepared by an ultrasonic method. Following an earlier work in which we have revealed the interactions between ibuprofen (IBU) and CSH carriers with different morphologies by X-ray absorption near edge structures (XANES) analysis. In the present investigation, two new drug molecules, alendronate sodium (ALN) and gentamicin sulfate (GS), were incorporated into MS-CSH, and their drug loading capacities (DLCs) were measured using thermogravimetric analysis to establish the relationship between drug-carrier interactions and DLCs. The XANES spectra clearly indicate that acidic functional groups of the drug molecules linked to the active sites (Ca-OH and Si-OH groups) of MS-CSH on the surface by electrostatic interactions. In addition, it is found that the stoichiometric ratio of Ca(2+) ions of CSH carriers and the functional groups of drug molecules may significantly influence the DLCs.