PAMAM-grafted TiO2 nanotubes as novel versatile materials for drug delivery applications

PAMAM-grafted TiO2 nanotubes (PAMAM-TiO2NT) have been synthesized and evaluated as new drug nanocarriers, using curcumin (CUR), methotrexate (MTX), and silibinin (SIL) as model therapeutic compounds. TiO2NT were surface-modified using a silane coupling agent and subsequently conjugated with PAMAM dendrimer of the third generation. The characterization of PAMAM-TiO2NT nanomaterials was performed by FTIR, TEM, N-2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, XRD, and TGA techniques, which accounted for a 2.6 wt.% of PAMAM grafting in the prepared materials. The drug loading capacity, drug release properties, and cytotoxicity of PAMAM-TiO2NT showed a significant improvement compared to pristine TiO2NT, thus revealing the promising properties of these new materials for drug delivery purposes. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.