Montmorillonite/poly-(e-caprolactone) composites as versatile layered material: Reservoirs for anticancer drug and controlled release property

Abstract

This work evaluates intercalation of tamoxifen (Tmx) in interlayer gallery of Na+-MMT (Montmorillonite, MMT) (Tmx MMT), which is further compounded with poly-(e-caprolactone) (PCL) (Tmx MMT/PCL, MPs), for oral chemotherapy of breast cancer. The X-ray diffraction patterns, thermal and spectroscopic analyses indicated the intercalation of Tmx into the MMT interlayer that stabilized in the longitudinal monolayer mode by electrostatic interaction. No signi cant change in structural and functional proper- ties of Tmx was found in the MMT layers. In vitro study of drug release pro les showed controlled release pattern. The genotoxic effect of drug was in vitro evaluated in human lymphocyte cell culture by comet assay, and results indicated moderate reduction in DNA damage when pristine Tmx was intercalated with MMT and formulated in composites. The Tmx MMT hybrid ef cacy was also con rmed on HeLa and A549 cancer cells by in vitro cell viability assay. In vivo pharmacokinetics (PK) of formulated Tmx in rats was examined and the results showed that plasma Tmx levels were within therapeutic window as com- pared to pristine Tmx. Therefore, Tmx MMT hybrid and microcomposite particles (MPs) can be of con- siderable value in chemotherapy of malignant neoplastic disease with reduced side effects. This study clearly indicated that MMT not only plays a role as a delivery matrix for drug, but also facilitates signif- icant increase in the delivery pro ciency.