The present article reports on the synthesis of mesoporous alumina and its modification through β -cyclodextrin (BCD) incorporation for loading and release studies of amoxicillin. The drug loading in the mesoporous matrices was found to be activated upon providing molecular assistance by amino acids, L-methionine, L-proline and L-phenylalanine. The effect of molecular assistance has been attributed to intermolecular interactions between the drug and the individual amino acids which have been further confirmed by different spectroscopic studies. The drug-loaded material with BCD modification was found to exhibit a sustained release mechanism in physiological pH and is suggested as a proposed material for hip joint prosthesis. © 2020, Indian Academy of Sciences.