pH-responsive LDH-palmitic acid nanohybrids for controlled drug delivery
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Alsya Haneeza Mohd Shah
Abstract
An effective drug delivery system enhances bioavailability to improve therapeutic outcomes. Incomplete drug administration can reduce effectiveness, requiring higher or more frequent doses. This study focuses on developing nnanocomposites that use layered double hydroxides (LDHs) as drug carriers to improve bioavailability. Zinc-aluminium (ZnAl-LDH) and calcium-aluminium (CaAl-LDH) LDHs were synthesised, and palmitic acid (PA) was intercalated into these structures using the co-precipitation method, forming ZnAl-LDH-PA and CaAl-LDH-PA nanocomposites. PXRD analysis confirmed successful intercalation, with increased interlayer spacing from 8.60 Å to 15.21 Å for 0.05 M CaAl-LDH-PA and from 8.92 Å to 14.35 Å for 0.2 M ZnAl-LDH-PA. FTIR spectroscopy further validated PA incorporation by showing the absence of nitrate peaks at 1347 cm−1 and the presence of asymmetrical and symmetrical COOˉ stretching vibrations in the 1540 to 1577 cm−1 range. Controlled release studies in simulated physiological media showed pH-responsive behaviour: CaAl-LDH-PA achieved sustained release of 75 % at pH 4.8, whereas ZnAl-LDH-PA displayed prolonged release at pH 7.4 (62 %). These findings demonstrate the potential of ZnAl- and CaAl-LDH nanohybrids as effective pH-responsive carriers for enhanced bioavailability.
Funding source: Fundamental Research Grant Scheme, Malaysia
Award Identifier / Grant number: This study was funded by the Ministry of Higher Ed
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the support provided by Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia, for the research facilities and institutional assistance throughout the course of this work.
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Research ethics: Not applicable.
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Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study.
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Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
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Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: The authors acknowledge the use of generative AItools (e.g., QuillBot) in the for language editing and grammar correction. No content generationor data interpretation was performed by AI. The authorstake full responsibility for the content and conclusions of this work.
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Conflict of interest: No conflict.
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Research funding: This study was funded by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), Malaysia, under the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) (Grant No. FRGS/1/2023/STG05/UITM/02/20).
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Data availability: Not applicable.
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