Hierarchical silica monolithic tablets as novel carriers for drug delivery.

This paper proposes the use of carriers with hierarchical porous structures as novel monolithic tablets for modified drug release. The influence of pore structure on the tamsulosin release profile is presented. The hierarchical arrangement of porous structure in monolithic tablets and the deposition of tamsulosin inside the silica carrier enable to control the kinetic of release and the amount of tamsulosin released. We developed a mathematical model of tamsulosin release from two carriers with different hierarchy of meso- and macropores. A model of this nature will allow to predict the release of tamsulosin from other carriers with a similar pore structure. We hope this research will improve the design process of novel carriers, and thus, will allow to tailor the porous structure of a carrier to achieve the desired release profile.