HNT-Zein-based pH-responsive biocomposite for phenytoin controlled release

The present study considered synthesizing pH-Responsive biocomposite as a phenytoin sodium (PHT) carrier prepared by Halloysite nanotubes (HNT) and Zein protein. The HNT-Zein nanocomposite fabrication was carried out in a water solution via a layer by layer (LbL) method. Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Zeta potential and, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were used for confirmation of HNT-Zein nanocomposite synthesis. The loaded PHT in pure HNTs and HNT-Zein nanocomposite was investigated using HPLC. The study of morphology and XRD showed that the tubular structure of HNT was preserved during the surface modification. The results revealed that the encapsulation efficiency of the HNT-Zein nanocomposite (35.6%) is about twice higher in compared to the pure HNTs (16.2%). The results showed that the release in SIF media has a more controlled behaviour compared to SGF media and follows the Korsmeyer-Peppas kinetic model. According to the results, it seems that prepared HNT-Zein nano -composite is a promising candidate for drug delivery of drug molecules with molecular weight similar to PHT.