Document Type

Thesis

Date of Award

2025

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Chemistry

First Advisor

Grigoriy Sereda

Abstract

The study demonstrated that eugenol affects the morphology of calcium citrate particles during their formation, as confirmed by SEM micrography and PXRD analysis. Coating of eugenol loaded calcium citrate particles (CaCit MPs) with casein improves their known pH-dependent drug release profile, as confirmed by UV absorption spectroscopy. The casein-coated eugenol-loaded CaCit MPs (CCaCit(eu) MPs) can effectively control and sustain drug release under different pH conditions, particularly at acidic pH values (4.8 and 5.5), which mimics the environment of tumor tissues. To further explore the biomedical applications of calcium citrate, a bulk nanostructured precursor to the known anti-cancer calcium citrate phosphate-based material was synthesized and characterized. In addition to their drug delivery potential, CaCit MPs were also used to synthesize gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) under mild conditions (room temperature). The size and morphology of the Au NPs were influenced by the amount of CaCit. Higher concentrations resulted in faster formation of larger nanoparticles, while moderate concentrations produced more controlled, uniform nanoparticles. The presence of eugenol in CaCit MPs enables the formation of Au NPs and leads to their more uniform size distribution, as evidenced by TEM. HPLC-analysis of the products of oxidation revealed that citrate participated in the reduction of Au (III). Whether eugenol is a reducing agent or catalyst of the formation of Au NPs is a subject of further study.

Subject Categories

Chemistry

Keywords

eugenol nanoparticle PXRD analysis

Number of Pages

95

Publisher

University of South Dakota

Included in

Chemistry Commons

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