Chiang Mai Journal of Science

 This work investigated how the incorporation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) into gelatin microspheres influences the effectiveness of microspheres as drug delivery systems by studying the adsorption of asiaticoside (AC) on the microspheres. We treated MWCNTs with a H₂SO₄/HNO₃ solution. The treated MWCNTs were dispersed in deionized water and sonicated in an ultrasonic bath. The dispersion of treated MWCNTs was then mixed with the gelatin stock solution, and microsphere swelling and AC encapsulation efficiency were determined. Untreated gelatin microspheres were used for comparison. The experimental results indicated that the addition of the treated MWCNTs enhanced the mechanical stability of the gelatin microspheres. Furthermore, the addition of the treated MWCNTs to the gelatin microspheres increased AC encapsulation efficiency and slowed AC release. The maximum AC sorption capacities of the gelatin and the treated MWCNT-filled gelatin microspheres were 115.22 and 230.11 mg/g, respectively. In addition, cytotoxicity was investigated using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, which revealed that the treated MWCNT-filled gelatin microspheres did not affect murine fibroblast (L929) viability. Thus, the synthesized microspheres were biocompatible with the fibroblasts.