A novel luminescent mesoporous silica/apatite composite for controlled drug release

A novel bifunctional composite, combining the mesoporous structure of MCM-48 and the self-activated strong blue luminescence of hydroxyapatite (HAp), was synthesized and employed for drug delivery and in vitrodrug release monitoring in the simulated body fluid (SBF) system. Studies have shown that this spherical composite exhibits ordered mesoscale pores, which are suitable to be a carrier for controlled drug release. Drug storage/release test indicates that this composite shows high drug loading and well controlled release capability for captopril (CapH2). Particularly, the composite loaded with CapH2 still shows strong blue emission centered at 410 nm under UV excitation, and the luminescence intensity keeps increasing when drug molecules are gradually released from the composite, which shows great potential for controlled drug delivery, in vivo monitoring, and disease diagnosis.