Perpustakaan Digital ITB

CaCO3 has shown potential as a matrix for sustained and targeted drug delivery, for it possesses many attractive features such as its low cost, high biocompatibility and slow biodegradation. The non-invasive nature of the pulmonary route for drug delivery allows drugs to enter the system more easily, resulting in high patient compliance. However, undesirable microbes such as bacteria may also easily enter the system through this route. Thus, this research project capitalizes on the anti-bacterial uses of silver chloride and proposes a technique to encapsulate AgCl into calcium carbonate microspheres, in order to inhibit the invasion of bacteria via pulmonary drug delivery. AgCl was successfully encapsulated in porous calcium carbonate microspheres using the technique proposed. Porous and spherical CaCO3 microparticles ranging from 1 to 5?m, which is suitable for effective pulmonary drug delivery was observed through SEM (scanning electron microscope) micrographs. Particle size analysis from the SEM results demonstrated that recrystallization and aggregation mostly occurred at 40% w/w of Ag+. Meanwhile, recrystallization and aggregation also occurred at 0.025% and 0.075% w/v of poly-AMPS (poly2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid). XRD (x-ray diffraction) results determined that AgCl and vaterite were present in the synthesized drug delivery system. Agar well diffusion tests confirmed that the drug delivery system was capable of inhibiting bacteria. An approximation of the optimum concentration of poly-AMPS and Ag+ based on this work was observed at 0.050% w/v of poly-AMPS and 25% w/w of Ag+.