Insight into the Loading and Release Properties of MCM-48/Biopolymer Composites as Carriers for 5-Fluorouracil: Equilibrium Modeling and Pharmacokinetic Studies

[Image: see text] The effect of the integration between MCM-48 and some biopolymers (starch, chitosan, and β-cyclodextrin) on enhancing the pharmaceutical properties of MCM-48 as advanced carriers for the 5-fluorouracil drug was studied considering the loading capacities and the release profiles. The prepared carriers are MCM-48/chitosan (MCM/CH), MCM-48/starch composite (MCM/ST), and MCM-48/β-Cyclodextrin (MCM/CD). They emphasized excellent 5-Fu loading capacities of 141.2 mg/g (MCM-48), 156.6 mg/g (MCM/ST), 191 mg/g (MCM/CH), and 170 mg/g (MCM/CD), reflecting significant enhancement in the loading capacities. The kinetic and equilibrium investigation suggested physisorption loading of 5-Fu drug in a monolayer form for MCM-48, MCM/ST, and MCM/CH (Langmuir) and in a multilayer form for MCM/CD (Freundlich). This was supported by the estimated adsorption energies (0.23 kJ/mol (MCM-48), 0.26 kJ/mol (MCM/ST), 0.3 kJ/mol (MCM/CH), and 0.75 kJ/mol (MCM/CD)) and the thermodynamic parameters of free energy and enthalpy. The obtained release profiles for 80 h reflected significant controlling for the releasing behavior of MCM/48 on integrating its structure by adjusting the type of the selected polymer and its ratio. The pharmacokinetic modeling and the diffusion exponent from the Korsmeyer–Peppas model suggested non-Fickian transport behavior (a combination of erosion and diffusion releasing mechanism) for MCM/ST, MCM/CH, and MCM/CD and Fickian diffusion behavior (diffusion releasing mechanism) for MCM-48.