Layered double hydroxides as supports for intercalation and sustained release of antihypertensive drugs

Zn/Al layered double hydroxides (LDHs) were intercalated with the anionic antihypertensive drugs Enalpril, Lisinopril, Captopril and Ramipril by using coprecipitation or ion-exchange technique. TG–MS analyses suggested that the thermal stability of Ena−, Lis− (arranged with monolayer, resulted from X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR) analysis was enhanced much more than Cap– and Ram– (arranged with bilayer). The release studies show that the release rate of all samples markedly decreased in both pH 4.25 and 7.45. However, the release time of Ena–, Lis– were much longer compared with Cap–, Ram– in both pH 4.25 and 7.45, it is possible that the intercalated guests, arranged with monolayer in the interlayer, show lesser repulsive force and strong affinity with the LDH layers. And the release data followed both the Higuchi-square-root law and the first-order equation well. Based on the analysis of batch release, intercalated structural models as well as the TG–DTA results, we conclude that for drug–LDH, stronger the affinity between intercalated anions and the layers is, better the thermal property and the stability to the acid attack of drug–LDH, and the intercalated anions are easier apt to monolayer arrangement within the interlayer, were presented.