Light-responsive nanocomposite sponges for on demand chemical release with high spatial and dosage control

Paolo Matteini; Maria Raffaella Martina; Giuliano Giambastiani; Francesca Tatini; Roberta Cascella; Fulvio Ratto; Cristina Cecchi; Gabriella Caminati; Luigi Dei; Roberto Pini

doi:10.1039/C2TB00310D

Light-responsive nanocomposite sponges for on demand chemical release with high spatial and dosage control†

Paolo Matteini,*^a Maria Raffaella Martina,^b Giuliano Giambastiani,^c Francesca Tatini,^a Roberta Cascella,^d Fulvio Ratto,^a Cristina Cecchi,^d Gabriella Caminati,^b Luigi Dei^b and Roberto Pini*^a

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^a Institute of Applied Physics “Nello Carrara”, National Research Council, via Madonna del Piano 10, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
E-mail: p.matteini@ifac.cnr.it, r.pini@ifac.cnr.it
Fax: +39 055 5225305
Tel: +39 055 5226692

^b Department of Chemistry and CSGI Consortium, University of Florence, via della Lastruccia 13, Florence, Italy

^c Institute of Chemistry of Organometallic Compounds, National Research Council, via Madonna del Piano 10, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy

^d Department of Biochemical Sciences, University of Florence, Viale G.B. Morgagni 50, Florence, Italy

Abstract

We present a biocompatible device for on demand chemical release in the form of a light-activated sponge-like nanocomposite scaffold, which ensures excellent control over the principal parameters of chemical release and dosage in order to sustain effective therapeutic action. The sponge consists of a porous biopolymer scaffold containing a dispersion of gold nanorods, which acts as an absorber of the incoming laser light, and of thermosensitive micelles, which serve as a reservoir for the drug molecules to be released. The photothermal response of the nanoparticles contained inside the sponge triggers a contraction in proximal micelles, thus promoting the expulsion of the drug that in turn is released from the sponge to the external environment. The peculiar physiochemical and structural properties of the nanocomposite sponges impart a number of interesting features to the proposed drug release system, including the possibility of spatially confining the therapeutic treatment as well as precise control of the amount of released drug as a function of duration and power of the excitation light.

Journal of Materials Chemistry B

Light-responsive nanocomposite sponges for on demand chemical release with high spatial and dosage control†

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Light-responsive nanocomposite sponges for on demand chemical release with high spatial and dosage control

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