A chitosan/silica hybrid 3D scaffold for simultaneous entrapment of two different hydrophilic substances

We report the preparation of a hybrid chitosan/silica three-dimensional (3D) scaffold loaded simultaneously with two model hydrophilic substances, ibuprofen sodium salt and erioglaucine disodium salt. The first substance is entrapped in situ during chitosan submillimetric beads by ionotropic gelation triphosphate, while latter post-loaded formation. Controlled release experiments carried out under neutral conditions demonstrate that presence nanostructured silica within polymer matrix retards both substances increases structure stability scaffold. Release profiles can be fitted to two-component diffusion-controlled term (Korsmeyer-Peppas model), which dominates substance, second swelling/erosion term, becomes relevant for drug.