Functional Built-In Template Directed Siliceous Fluorescent Supramolecular Vesicles as Diagnostics

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Developing advanced nanomaterials for targeted drug delivery is crucial for cancer therapy.
• Fluorescent nanoparticles offer potential for diagnostics and imaging.
• Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) fluorogens provide bright and stable fluorescence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize novel hybrid siliceous fluorescent vesicles (HSFVs) using a fluorescent vesicle as a template.
• To investigate the properties and potential applications of HSFVs in cancer treatment and diagnostics.
• To establish a controllable synthesis method for HSFVs with tunable wall thickness.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of HSFVs via functional template-directed synthesis.
• Utilizing an ionic self-assembly of an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) fluorogen as the template vesicle.
• Modification of the vesicle surface with folic acid-conjugated silica shell.
• Characterization of HSFV properties including cytotoxicity, fluorescence, and drug delivery capabilities.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized HSFVs with built-in fluorescence from the AIE template.
• Demonstrated low cytotoxicity and significant fluorescence of the HSFVs.
• Showcased targeted drug delivery of HSFVs toward cancer cells.
• Achieved controlled wall-thickness of HSFVs by adjusting silica source concentration.

Conclusions:

• This study reports the first fabrication of HSFVs using a fluorescent vesicle as a built-in template.
• HSFVs exhibit promising characteristics for diagnostics and targeted cancer therapy.
• The rational design of HSFVs opens new avenues for precision medicine applications.