Issue 23, 2015

Dual pH-responsive mesoporous silica nanoparticles for efficient combination of chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy

Abstract

A kind of dual pH-responsive mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN)-based drug delivery system, which can respond to the cancer extracellular and intercellular pH stimuli, has been fabricated for synergistic chemo-photodynamic therapy. By grafting histidine onto the silica surface, the acid sensitive PEGylated tetraphenylporphyrin zinc (Zn-Por-CA-PEG) can be used as a gatekeeper to block the nanopores of MSNs by the metallo-supramolecular-coordinated interaction between Zn-Por and histidine. This gatekeeper is stable enough to prevent the loaded drug from leaching out in healthy tissue. However, at cancer extracellular pH (∼6.8) the conjugated acid sensitive cis-aconitic anhydride (CA) between Zn-Por and PEG will cleave and the surface of Zn-Por will be amino positively charged to facilitate cell internalization. Furthermore, the metallo-supramolecular-coordination will disassemble in intracellular acidic microenvironments (∼5.3) to release the carried drug and Zn-Por due to the removal of the gatekeeper. The photosensitivity of Zn-Por further makes it possible to combine chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy. This dual pH-sensitive MSN-based drug delivery system showed higher in vitro cytotoxicity than the single chemotherapy of free DOX or photodynamic therapy of Zn-Por, presenting its great potential for cancer treatment to overcome the challenges in efficient delivery in the site and ideal anti-cancer efficacy.

Graphical abstract: Dual pH-responsive mesoporous silica nanoparticles for efficient combination of chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
04 Feb 2015
Accepted
17 May 2015
First published
18 May 2015

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2015,3, 4707-4714

Dual pH-responsive mesoporous silica nanoparticles for efficient combination of chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy

X. Yao, X. Chen, C. He, L. Chen and X. Chen, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2015, 3, 4707 DOI: 10.1039/C5TB00256G

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