Ricerc@Sapienza

The aim of this work is the development of a system able to release ferrous
ions in a controlled manner. An interesting alternative to a systemic therapy
can be the use of controlled drug release for medical applications. Starting
from iron powder and citric acid, ferrous citrate (Fe(II)C) is synthesized by a
redox reaction between these two. The confirmation that only Fe(II)C is
obtained by redox reaction is shown from Fourier transform infrared
spectroscopy (FTIR), 1,10-phenanthroline and sodium thiocyanate
colorimetric experiments. Fe(II)C is embedded within a SiO2 matrix in
different weight percentage by means of a sol–gel route. The presence of
Fe(II)C in the silica matrix is confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy and
thermogravimetry assays. Furthermore, these two techniques are used to
investigate the thermal behavior of the above-mentioned sol–gel materials.
The bioactivity test carried out by soaking the synthesized complex delivery
systems in a simulated body fluid shows that the biological properties of the
silica matrix are not modified by the presence of Fe(II)C.