Abstract

In this work, we aimed to improve the antibacterial activity of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) via its inclusion in a newly synthesized nanocomposite composed of CuFe(2)O(4)nanoparticles and poly(vinyl alcohol)/silica-based mesoporous materials. Characterization of this formulation using different techniques confirmed the correct synthesis and showed that this mesoporous nanocomposite had an amorphous structure with relatively high surface area of 1,620.7 m(2)g(-1)and mean pore diameter of 1.6576 nm. Zeta potential of the formulation was obtained to be zero which led to its higher bioavailability in comparison to pure SMX with negative zeta potential. Antibacterial property of the prepared formulation againstStaphylococcus aureusandEscherichia coliwas evaluated. Minimum inhibitory concentration of the SMX-loaded mesoporous nanocomposite was considerably lower than those of pure SMX, indicating the efficient function of the mesoporous material as a delivery system. Kinetics of SMX release was also studied using zero-order, first-order, Higuchi, and Korsmeyer-Peppas kinetics models. According to the obtained results, the release kinetics was found to obey zero-order model. So the possibility of sustained release of SMX from the synthesized carrier may be suggested.