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Walnut kernel-like mesoporous silica nanoparticles as effective drug carrier for cancer therapy in vitro

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Abstract

In drug delivery systems, nanocarriers could reduce the degradation and renal clearance of drugs, increase the half-life in the bloodstream and payload of drugs, control the release patterns, and improve the solubility of some insoluble drugs. In particular, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) are considered to be attractive nanocarriers for application of delivery systems because of their large surface areas, large pore volume, tunable pore sizes, good biocompatibility, and the ease of surface functionalization. However, the large-scale synthesis of monodisperse MSNs that are smaller than 200 nm remains a challenge. In this study, monodisperse walnut kernel-like MSNs with diameters of approximately 100 nm were synthesized by a sol–gel route on a large scale. The morphology and structure of MSNs were characterized by scanning electron microscope, and transmission electron microscopy, N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms, Zeta potentials, and dynamic light scattering. Drug loading and release profile, cellular uptake, subcellular localization, and anticancer effect in vitro were further investigated. The results indicated that the loading efficiency of doxorubicinhydrochloride (DOX) into the MSNs was 57 %. The MSNs–DOX delivery system exhibited a drug-pronounced initial burst release within 12 h, followed by the slow sustained release of DOX molecules; moreover, MSNs could improve DOX release efficiency in acidic medium. Most free DOX was localized in the cytoplasm, whereas the MSNs–DOX was primarily distributed in lysosome. MSNs–DOX exhibited a potential anticancer effect against MCF-7, HeLa, and A549 cells in dose- and time-dependent manners. In summary, the as-synthesized MSNs may have well function as a promising drug carrier in drug delivery fields.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundations of China (31470961, 21001038, 21301046, 51302062), the Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (20111301110004, 20131301120004), Hebei Province “Hundred Talents Program” (BR2-202), Hebei Province “Three Three Three Talents Program” (A201401002), Key Basic Research Special Foundation of Science Technology Ministry of Hebei Province (14961302D), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Funded Project (2013M530119, 2014T70226), the Outstanding Youth Fund Project of Hebei Education Department (Y2012007), Training Program for Innovative Research Team and Leading Talent in Hebei Province University (LJRC024), and Distinguished Young Scholars Fund of Hebei University (2015JQ04).

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Hebei Province, Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry & Environmental Science, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, People’s Republic of China

      Kun Ge, Huihui Ren, Wentong Sun, Guang Jia, Cuimiao Zhang & Jinchao Zhang

    2. Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, Baoding, 071000, People’s Republic of China

      Kun Ge & Aimin Zang

    3. College of Clinical Science, Hebei University, Baoding, 071000, People’s Republic of China

      Qi Zhao

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    1. Kun Ge
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    3. Wentong Sun
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    4. Qi Zhao
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    5. Guang Jia
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    7. Cuimiao Zhang
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    Correspondence to Cuimiao Zhang or Jinchao Zhang.

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    Kun Ge and Huihui Ren have contributed equally to this article.

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    Ge, K., Ren, H., Sun, W. et al. Walnut kernel-like mesoporous silica nanoparticles as effective drug carrier for cancer therapy in vitro. J Nanopart Res 18, 81 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-016-3380-7

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