Bioresponsive controlled release using mesoporous silica nanoparticles capped with aptamer-based molecular gate

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

• Controlled-release systems are crucial for targeted drug delivery.
• Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) offer high surface area and tunable pore sizes for drug encapsulation.
• Aptamer-target interactions provide high specificity for biomolecule recognition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and demonstrate a novel bioresponsive controlled-release system using aptamer-modified mesoporous silica nanoparticles.
• To utilize aptamer-target interactions for triggered cargo release.
• To explore the potential of this system for targeted nanomedicine applications.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of mesoporous silica nanoparticles.
• Modification of gold nanoparticles with aptamers (ATP aptamer used as a model).
• Capping of MS nanoparticle pores with aptamer-modified gold nanoparticles.
• Demonstration of cargo release triggered by competitive displacement reaction with ATP molecules.

Main Results:

• Successful design of a bioresponsive controlled-release system based on aptamer-modified MS nanoparticles.
• Demonstrated triggered cargo release via aptamer-ATP competitive displacement.
• Validated the potential of aptamer-target interactions for precise control over nanodevice function.

Conclusions:

• Aptamer-target interactions represent a viable strategy for developing custom-controlled nanodevices.
• The developed aptamer-based controlled-release system shows broad applicability, particularly for cancer biomarker targeting.
• This platform holds promise for advanced targeted drug delivery and nanomedicine.