Luciferase and luciferin co-immobilized mesoporous silica nanoparticle materials for intracellular biocatalysis

We report a gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-capped mesoporous silica nanoparticle (Au-MSN) platform for intracellular codelivery of an enzyme and a substrate with retention of bioactivity. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, Au-MSNs are shown to release luciferin from the interior pores of MSN upon AuNP uncapping in response to disulfide-reducing antioxidants and codeliver bioactive luciferase from the PEGylated exterior surface of Au-MSN to Hela cells. The effectiveness of luciferase-catalyzed luciferin oxidation and luminescence emission in the presence of intracellular ATP was measured by a luminometer. Overall, the chemical tailorability of the Au-MSN platform to retain enzyme bioactivity, the ability to codeliver enzyme and substrate, and the potential for imaging tumor growth and metastasis afforded by intracellular ATP- and glutathione-dependent bioluminescence make this platform appealing for intracellular controlled catalysis and tumor imaging.