Abstract
Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is a promising therapy for the cure of diffuse tumors. The successful clinical application of BNCT requires finding new boron-based compounds suitable for an efficient 10B delivery to the cancerous tissues. The purpose of this work is to synthesize borosilicate nanoparticles by a sol–gel recipe, and to functionalize them with folic acid in order to promote their capture by the tumor cells. Whereas sol–gel is a promising technique for the synthesis of nanoparticles, in case of borosilicate systems this approach is affected by significant boron loss during preparation. Here we show that functionalization of borosilicate nanoparticles with folic acid can reduce the boron loss. Moreover, preliminary biocompatibility tests indicate that functionalization strongly changes the reactivity of NPs towards blood cells, so favouring the potential use of these materials for clinical applications.
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs10971-012-2865-9/MediaObjects/10971_2012_2865_Fig1_HTML.gif)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs10971-012-2865-9/MediaObjects/10971_2012_2865_Fig2_HTML.gif)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs10971-012-2865-9/MediaObjects/10971_2012_2865_Fig3_HTML.gif)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs10971-012-2865-9/MediaObjects/10971_2012_2865_Fig4_HTML.gif)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs10971-012-2865-9/MediaObjects/10971_2012_2865_Fig5_HTML.gif)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs10971-012-2865-9/MediaObjects/10971_2012_2865_Fig6_HTML.gif)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs10971-012-2865-9/MediaObjects/10971_2012_2865_Fig7_HTML.gif)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs10971-012-2865-9/MediaObjects/10971_2012_2865_Fig8_HTML.jpg)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs10971-012-2865-9/MediaObjects/10971_2012_2865_Fig9_HTML.gif)
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Soloway AH, Tjarks W, Barnum BA, Rong FG, Barth RF, Codogni IM, Wilson JG (1998) Chem Rev 98:1515–1562
Tiwari SB, Amiji MM (2006) Curr Drug Deliv 3:219–232
Goldberg M, Langer R, Jia X (2007) J Biomater Sci Polym 18:241–268
Low PS, Kularatne SA (2009) Curr Opin Chem Biol 13:256–262
Yang X, Grailer JJ, Pilla S, Steeber DA, Gong S (2010) Bioconjugate Chem 21:496–504
Ciofani G, Raffa V, Menciassi A, Cuschieri A (2009) Nanoscale Res Lett 4:113–121
Yao A, Wang D, Fu Q, Huang W, Rahaman MN (2007) Chin Sci Bull 52(2):272–276
Nogami M, Moriya Y (1982) J Non-Cryst Solids 48:359–366
Irwin AD, Holmgreen JS, Zerda TW, Jonas J (1987) J Non-Cryst Solids 89:191–205
Irwin AD, Holmgreen JS, Jonas J (1988) J Non-Cryst Solids 101:249–254
Li B, Yue Z, Zhou J, Gui Z, Li L (2002) Mater Lett 54:25–29
Soraru GD, Dallabona N, Gervais C, Babonneau F (1999) Chem Mater 11:910–919
Soraru GD, Babonneau F, Gervais C, Dallabona N (2000) J Sol–Gel Sci Technol 18:11–19
Parashar VK, Orhan JB, Sayah A, Cantoni M, Gijs MAM (2008) Nat Nanotechnol 3:589–594
Grandi S, Tomasi C, Cassinelli V, Cucca L, Profumo A, Mustarelli P, Balduini C (2012) SiO2-B2O3 xerogels: the problem of boron leaching. J Non Cryst Solids 358(14):1631–1637
Nel A, Xia T, Mädler L, Li N (2006) Science 311:622–627
Oberdörster G (2010) J Intern Med 267:89–105
Bartneck M, Keul HA, Singh S, Czaja K, Bornemann J, Bockstaller M, Moeller M, Zwadlo-Klarwasser G, Groll J (2010) ACS Nano 4:3073–3086
Radomski A, Jurasz P, Alonso-Escolano D, Drews M, Morandi M, Malinski T, Radomski MW (2005) Br J Pharmacol 146:882–893
Guidetti GF, Consonni A, Cipolla L, Mustarelli P, Balduini C, Torti M (2012) Nanomedicine. doi:10.1016/j.nano.2012.04.001
Melloni E, Pontremoli S, Michetti M, Sacco O, Sparatore B, Salamino F, Horecker BL (1985) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 82:6435–6439
He YY, Wang XC, Jin PK, Zhao B, Fan X (2009) Spectrochimica Acta Part A 72:876–879
Yang SJ, Lin FH, Tsai FC, Wei MF, Tsai HM, Wong JM, Shieh MJ (2010) Bioconjugate Chem 21:679–989
Vora A, Riga A, Dollimore D, Alexander KS (2002) Thermochimica Acta 392–393:209–220
Gawaz M, Langer H, May AE (2005) J Clin Invest 115:3378–3384
Malech HL, Gallin JI (1987) N Engl J Med 317:687–694
Acknowledgments
Funding by Cariplo (project 2009-2440: Development and safety assessment of nanostructured compounds applicable to boron neutron capture therapy) by Regione Lombardia (SAL-45) and by Almamater Foundation (Pavia) is gratefully acknowledged.
We thank dr. Sushilkumar Jadhav for preliminary experiments.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Grandi, S., Spinella, A., Tomasi, C. et al. Synthesis and characterisation of functionalized borosilicate nanoparticles for boron neutron capture therapy applications. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 64, 358–366 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-012-2865-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-012-2865-9