Síntese e caracterização de nanoestruturas de imidazolatos zeolíticos (ZIF-8) ) com DAP

Abstract

Leprosy is an endemic disease in some countries, including Brazil. Its current treatment is through polychemotherapy, which can be complex and cause adverse effects. Some techniques have been studied to improve its bioavailability, with the use of nanotechnology, since DAP is a drug with low solubility. The use of Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOF), specifically the zeolitic imidazolate structure (ZIF-8) has shown promise for the administration and controlled release of drugs. This work aimed to develop a nanostructured system based on ZIF-8 as a dapsone (DAP) delivery system, with DAP being loaded in situ into the ZIF-8 nanostructure, at room temperature in aqueous medium. Both ZIF-8 and DAP@ZIF-8 were characterized using various characterization tools, such as: X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry (TG), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), assay, particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Through the diffractograms, patterns corresponding to ZIF-8 and DAP@ZIF-8 were identified, confirming the structural integrity and phase purity of the nanostructures. TEM micrographs of ZIF-8 and DAP@ZIF-8 showed well-developed hexagonal nanocrystals and uniform distribution. The encapsulation of DAP was confirmed by UV-Visible and FTIR spectroscopy studies, and resulted in a decrease in the average particle size and zeta potential, preserving the hexagonal morphology. The studies proved the potential of ZIF-8 to be used as a carrier for controlled delivery of DAP. However, further research is needed to improve future applications using such a system.