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Published on: May 8, 2020
Mesoporous silica nanoparticles engineered for ultrasound-induced uptake by cancer cells
Juan L Paris1, Miguel Manzano1, M Victoria Cabañas2
1Dpto. Química en Ciencias Farmacéuticas, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre i+12, 28040-Madrid, Spain. vallet@ucm.es and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), Spain.
Abstract:
A novel smart hierarchical ultrasound-responsive mesoporous silica nanocarrier for cancer therapy is presented here. This dynamic nanosystem has been designed to display different surface characteristics during its journey towards tumor cells. Initially, the anticancer-loaded nanocarriers are shielded with a polyethylene glycol layer. Upon exposure to high frequency ultrasound, the polymer shell detaches from the nanoparticles, exposing a positively charged surface. This favors the internalization in human osteosarcoma cells, where the release of topotecan takes place, drastically enhancing the cytotoxic effect.
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