Layered nanohydroxyapatite as a novel nanocarrier for controlled delivery of 5-fluorouracil

Layered materials intercalated by drug molecules have attracted much attention since they exhibit improved safety and effectiveness in drug delivery. In this work, layered nanohydroxyapatite (L-nHAp) was synthesized by template method and a model anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil (5FU) was loaded by intercalation technique. The morphology and structure of L-nHAp/5FU hybrids were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). XRD and FTIR revealed the successful drug intercalation into the gallery of L-nHAp. TGA evidenced enhanced thermal stability of the drug molecules in the gallery of L-nHAp. The in vitro release experiments demonstrated that the release of 5FU from L-nHAp/5FU was slower than that from rodlike nanohydroxyapatite (R-nHAp)/5FU. Furthermore, the release of 5FU from L-nHAp/5FU hybrid could be fitted by first-order, Higuchi, and Rigter-Pappas models. It is believed that L-nHAp may be a promising carrier for anticancer drugs.