Development and Characterization of Montmorillonite‐Based Hybrid Materials for pH‐Responsive Drug Delivery

Abstract This study reports the development of montmorillonite (MMT)‐based hybrid systems for pH‐responsive drug delivery. During fabrication, MMT is first modified with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and methanol (MeOH), with the generated hybrid materials being designated as MMT DMSO and MMT MeOH , respectively. The hybrid materials are then intercalated with DOX for drug delivery purposes. Results of XRD and DSC reveal that DOX is successfully intercalated into the MMT interlayers. In vitro drug release studies of the DOX‐loaded hybrid materials are investigated at pH 4.5 and 7.4 at 37 °C. The cytotoxicity of the materials is studied in vitro by using human breast cancer cells (MCF‐7) as a model. Results suggest that our hybrid materials are carriers enabling effective, sustained and controlled drug release.