Facile preparation of pH-responsive k-Carrageenan/tramadol loaded UiO-66 bio-nanocomposite hydrogel beads as a nontoxic oral delivery vehicle

In comparison with the intravenous route, oral administration is most commonly used owing to the non-invasive nature and the fact that avoids patient pain and discomfort. In this context, UiO-66 was prepared through solvothermal route to load tramadol (Tr) as a model drug. Tr loaded UiO-66 (Tr@UiO-66) was used to improve the drug release controllability of bio-polymeric k-Carrageenan (k-Cr) hydrogel in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) conditions. The k-Cr/Tr@UiO-66 bio-nanocomposite hydrogel beads were characterized by FT-IR, XRD, EDX, pH(pzc), and SEM methods. The in-vitro drug release and kinetics analysis revealed that the k-Cr/Tr@UiO-66 has a better performance against stomach pH and enhanced the drug dosing stability with controlled releases in the GIT conditions. Cytotoxicity study established that the bio-nanocomposite beads have a cytocompatible nature against human colon cells. Results showed that the prepared novel k-Cr/Tr@UiO-66 could be potentially used as a nontoxic oral delivery vehicle.