Nanoporous Anodized Alumina for Drug Delivery: Design Strategies and Doxorubicin Release Mechanisms

This study employed an improved anodization process to fabricate nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA) films with various pore parameters for use as drug carriers. Doxorubicin (DOX) was selected as a model drug to investigate drug loading and in vitro release behaviors. The experimental results demonstrated that pore size and morphology significantly influenced the release rate and diffusion behavior of DOX. Specifically, the design of nonstandard pores from top to bottom is [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]nm, [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]nm, and [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]nm, respectively, which can effectively extend the release duration and enhance diffusion performance. Optimizing the pore structure notably improved the drug-loading capacity and controlled-release performance of the NAA. The DOX release kinetics indicated that the NAA-based drug delivery system (DDS) followed a first-order kinetic model. These findings provide a quantitative framework for tuning release behavior through structural design, which may inform the future development of porous platforms for controlled drug delivery. This study has significant implications for the clinical application of intelligent DDSs that utilize NAA as a drug carrier.