An emerging dual collaborative strategy for high-performance tumor therapy with mesoporous silica nanotubes loaded...

A highly integrated nanocomposite is constructed based on mesoporous silica nanotubes (SiNTs)-loaded with Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles for cervical cancer therapy via T₁-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and doxorubicin-based chemotherapy. Mn₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles uniformly distributed within SiNTs can effectively detect the tumor microenvironment, as revealed by clinical T₁-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. The SiNTs possessed a high loading rate for doxorubicin (DOX) and a simultaneous pH-dependent response release, mainly due to the electrostatic interaction between DOX molecules and the mesoporous silica surface. According to MTT assay, confocal laser scanning microscopy and bio-TEM observations, the cellular uptake of the as-prepared DOX-Mn₃O₄-SiNTs was both dose- and time-dependent, and the SiNTs were accumulated mostly in lysosomes. Further pathological examinations revealed that the DOX-Mn₃O₄-SiNTs multifunctional drug delivery system led to remarkably destructed cells, large vacuoles, and irregular widening of tumor tissues. This collaborative strategy could pave the way towards high-performance nanotherapeutics with superior antitumor efficacy and reduced side effects.