Characterization of Chitosan/ Zeolite drug delivery composite and curcumin release kinetics in a simulated pH environment

• Chitosan/zeolite nanocomposite represents an effective drug delivery platform. • Chitosan/zeolite nanocomposite efficiently entrapped curcumin, a potential anticancer drug. • Chitosan/zeolite nanocomposite provided a controlled and sustained release of curcumin. • Stable and enhanced release profiles observed in simulated pH environment. Cancer remains a formidable global health challenge, necessitating innovative strategies for effective drug delivery to tumor sites. This study is focused on modeling the release profile of a chitosan/zeolite nanocomposite beads delivery system encapsulating curcumin. The nanocomposites were synthesized by functionalizing zeolite with chitosan and subsequently loading curcumin. The chitosan/zeolite nanocomposite was characterized for its physicochemical properties, including surface morphology, functional groups, elemental profile, crystal structure, and drug loading capacity using SEM, FTIR, EDS, XRD, and UV–vis spectrophotometer respectively. In vitro experiments investigated the release kinetics of curcumin from the composite in simulated pH environments, providing insights into the drug release behavior. The chitosan/zeolite nanocomposite demonstrated a controlled, and sustained release of curcumin, exhibiting significant potential for optimizing therapeutic outcomes. The maximum entrapment efficiency of the chitosan/zeolite drug delivery vehicle was recorded at 84 %, indicating high efficiency in encapsulating drug molecules. Drug release kinetics were analysed using the Higuchi, Korsmeyer Peppas, Zero-Order, First-Order, and Hixson-Crowell models. The Higuchi kinetic model, which explains the release rate of drugs from an insoluble matrix based on Fickian diffusion, best explained the release of curcumin, with a correlation coefficient of R 2 = 0.9351. These results indicate that the zeolite functionalized chitosan nanocomposite beads hold promise as a viable platform for enhanced drug delivery, enabling prolonged drug circulation and improved therapeutic outcome.