Bioinspired Oil Core/Silica Shell Nanocarriers with Tunable and Multimodal Functionalities

Area of Science:

• Nanomedicine
• Biomaterials Science
• Materials Chemistry

Background:

• Multimodal nanomedicine systems offer simultaneous task performance, enhancing therapeutic and diagnostic capabilities.
• Designing nanocarriers with tunable properties and multiple functionalities is crucial for advanced drug delivery and imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a robust, multilayered nanocarrier system mimicking biogenic silica for nanomedicine applications.
• To create a versatile platform capable of simultaneous cargo loading and multimodal imaging.

Main Methods:

• A biosilicification process using poly-L-lysine to create a polymer-silica shell around an oil core.
• Immobilization of poly-L-lysine on emulsion droplet surfaces to induce silica shell deposition.
• Exploitation of the zwitterionic nature of poly-L-lysine for surface charge modulation.

Main Results:

• The nanocarrier system demonstrated simultaneous loading of hydrophobic molecules and contrasting agents.
• The system exhibited tunable thickness, monodispersity, and non-toxicity.
• The nanocarriers were fluorescent and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) active, confirming multimodal imaging potential.

Conclusions:

• The developed nanocarrier is a highly versatile platform for drug delivery and in vivo imaging.
• The biomimetic approach offers efficient cargo protection and tunable surface properties.
• This system advances multimodal nanomedicine through its integrated functionalities.