Correlation of the intracellular reactive oxygen species levels with textural properties of functionalized...

Mesostructured silica is frequently used in biomedical applications, being considered nontoxic and biocompatible material, suitable for the development of drug delivery systems (DDS). Four functionalized MCM-41 silica materials with hydrophobic (methyl and vinyl) and hydrophilic (3-aminopropyl and 3-mercaptopropyl) groups were obtained by post-synthesis functionalization and characterized by small-angle X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, thermal analysis, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms. The main structural and textural parameters of the obtained silica were determined. The effect of the functionalized silica on fibroblast (NIH3T3) and melanocyte cells (B16F10) was studied with respect to the proliferation rate and the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). It was found that the textural properties of all samples influenced the levels of intracellular ROS and consequently, the proliferation rate. Both, healthy and malignant cells exhibited linear dependence of ROS levels with the specific surface area values, but with different response. The contribution of the methyl functionalized silica to the ROS level is apart to the general trend.