CHARACTERIZATION AND EVALUATION OF DRUG DELIVERY POTENTIAL OF CELLULOSE MICROCRYSTALS OBTAINED FROM CORNCOB (ZEA MAYS) AND SUGARCANE BAGASSE (SACCHARUM OFFICINARIUM)

John O. Ayorinde and Pascal Chukwuemeka Aleke*

ABSTRACT

Cellulose has attracted worldwide attention as a renewable raw material for producing many industrial materials including medicines. Cellulose has been produced from various synthetic and natural sources, including a few agricultural wastes. Cellulose materials in their small particle sizes offer delivery of potential drugs via specialized drug delivery systems. This study aims at producing cellulose microcrystals from two agricultural wastes; corncob (Zea mays) and sugarcane bagasse (Saccharum officinarium) and evaluating the extracted cellulose for drug delivery potentials. Cellulose was extracted from corncob (CC) and sugarcane bagasse (SB) by alkaline extraction followed by a delignification and bleaching process. The powders obtained were characterized using physicochemical parameters such as surface morphology, swelling index, flow properties, densities, particle size analysis, pH, moisture content, viscosities, and Fourier Transform Intra-Red (FT-IR) Spectra. The Cellulose was hydrolyzed by Sulphuric acid using varying hydrolytic conditions (60%v/v and 65% v/v acid for 45 and 90 minutes at a constant temperature of 45°C). The hydrolytic reaction was quenched with deionized water. The hydrolyzed cellulose particles were washed, centrifuged at least six times, and oven-dried at 30°C, and were evaluated using FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and pH measurements. The cellulose with good physicochemical properties was extracted from both corncob and sugarcane bagasse at high yields with potential for use in the design of drug delivery systems. Hydrolysis of the extracted cellulose produced materials of reduced particle size on the micro-scale.

Keywords: Cellulose, Cellulose microparticles, Corncob, Sugarcane bagasse, Drug delivery systems.