10.57647/ijic.2026.1701.06

In Vitro Delivery of Silica Nanoparticle Encapsulated Silymarin for Pharmaceutical Application with High Efficiency and Low Toxicity

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  • Maryam Hasanzadeh1,
  • Maryam Khavarpour*1,
  • Ali Akbar Moghadamnia2,
  • Maedeh Mohammadi3,
  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Am.C., Islamic Azad University, Amol, Iran
  2. Neuroscience Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
  3. Biotechnology Research Laboratory, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol, Iran

Received: 2026-01-18

Revised: 2026-02-15

Accepted: 2026-03-04

Published in Issue 2026-03-31

Copyright (c) 2026 Maryam Hasanzadeh, Maryam Khavarpour, Ali Akbar Moghadamnia, Maedeh Mohammadi (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Hasanzadeh, M., Khavarpour, M., Moghadamnia, A. A., & Mohammadi, M. (2026). In Vitro Delivery of Silica Nanoparticle Encapsulated Silymarin for Pharmaceutical Application with High Efficiency and Low Toxicity. International Journal of Industrial Chemistry, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.57647/ijic.2026.1701.06
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Abstract

Silymarin is the natural bioactive component of milk thistle plant, Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn with several health effects and valuable therapeutic properties. As a hepatoprotective drug, its biological applications are restricted because of its poor solubility in aqueous environments. This paper presents a study to develop a Silymarin-loaded silica nanoparticle system with enhanced bioavailability and water solubility. Synthesized silica nanoparticles were characterized using XRF, FTIR, Zeta potential, SEM and AFM. They exhibit a quasi-spherical morphology and the average particle size was estimated to be approximately 55 nm. Release study of free and loaded Silymarin in PBS (pH 7.4) and citric acid buffer (pH 5.5) shows enable slow and controlled release of Silymarin. Furthermore, the cellular toxicity was assessed using the MTT method by studying the cell survival rates of MCF-7, Hep-G₂, and fibroblast cells. The results showed that Silymarin loaded on silica nanoparticles, compared to free silymarin, could more effectively reduce the activity and growth of Hep-G2 and MCF-7 cells even at lower concentrations of Silymarin.

Keywords

  • Cellular toxicity,
  • Drug delivery,
  • Release,
  • Silymarin,
  • Silica nanoparticles
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