Preparation and characterization of sol-gel processed spray dried silica xerogel microparticles as carriers of heparin sodium

Abstract

A spray drying technique was used for xerogel microparticles preparation from acetic acid catalyzed tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) – based silica sol, TEOS co-hydrolyzed with methyltriethoxysilane (METES), or α,ω-silaneterminated poly(ethylene glycol). The effect of TEOS modification on the heparin dissolution rate, particle degradation rate, as well as particle size and morphology was investigated. Smooth, spherical microparticles in the range of 1.02 – 13.51 μm, were produced by the spray drying method, which showed slow degradation rate and controlled release of heparin over prolonged period of time, dependent on the polymer’s composition.

Keywords

• silica xerogel
• microparticles
• spray drying
• controlled release
• heparin