Controlled release of Diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug by nanocompositing with layered zinc hydroxide

The anti-inflammatory drug, Diclofenac (DIC) anion, was intercalated into the layered zinc hydroxide (LZH) by ion-exchange method. Then, the DIC–LZH/Chitosan nanocomposite was prepared by coating of Chitosan on DIC–LZH. LZH intercalated with DIC was successfully encapsulated into Chitosan by precipitation method. The structures of the obtained products were studied by powder X-ray diffraction, FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and thermal analysis. The XRD patterns and FTIR analyses showed that the DIC was successfully intercalated into the LZH interlayer space with an average basal spacing of 29.42 Å. Thermal analysis studies confirmed that the thermal stability of DIC was enhanced after intercalation into LZH. In addition, drug release behaviors in vitro of DIC from DIC–LZH and DIC–LZH/Chitosan nanocomposites were observed in phosphate buffer solution under the conditions of pH 4.8 and 7.4, respectively.