A novel type of hybrid material based on a PLGA nanoparticle core and a redox-responsive amorphous organosilica shell have been successfully synthesized. The outer layer is obtained by self-assembly of silicate ions with a silsesquioxane containing a disulfide bridge. These organic linkers work as molecular gates that can be selectively cleaved by reducing agents. This system is particularly suitable for storage and release of hydrophobic molecules, as the treatment with dithiothreitol leaves open doors that allow for the discharge of encapsulated molecules in the organic matrix. Using pyrene as a probe molecule, it has been shown that after partial disruption of the organic–inorganic coating, the release mechanism from PLGA particles fits pretty well into Higuchi’s model, corresponding to a diffusion-mediated process. These nanohybrids impose a better control and slower release of encapsulated molecules than bare PLGA nanoparticles, are reasonably stable in a physiological medium, and show great potential as stimuli-responsive vehicles for drug delivery.

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The composition of the protein corona formed on mesoporous silica nanoparticles with several surface modifications was characterized.Low MW serum proteins were preferentially adsorbed, and PEGylated nanoparticles did not adsorb protein regardless of PEG chain length.Nanomedicine is continuously providing new single and multifunctional alternatives to traditional pharmaceutical delivery and treatment, enhancing both therapeutic activity and selectivity to pathological tissues, as well as providing molecular recognition and biosensing features.1,2 Unfortunately, the stability of most nanomaterials in biological uids is still a challenge to be solved, and the incorporation of stable nanoparticles into the bloodstream provokes a strong reaction with serum proteins, lipids, and small molecules, forming a shell of aggregated compounds known as the protein corona.3 The very high surface to volume ratio of nanomaterials dramatically boosts the adsorption process, changing their surface properties. This corona denes the biological identity of the nanomaterials and determines their nal physiological fate. In the case of intravenous (iv) injection, protein adsorption drives nanoparticle uptake by monocytes and macrophages, leading to their distribution to the reticuloendothelial system (RES) and compromising their therapeutic efficacy. 4-7

Combined chemo and photothermal therapy in in vitro testing has been achieved by means of multifunctional nanoparticles formed by plasmonic gold nanoclusters with a protecting shell of porous silica that contains an antitumor drug. We propose a therapeutic nanoplatform that associates the optical activity of small gold nanoparticles aggregates with the cytotoxic activity of 20(S)-camptothecin simultaneously released for the efficient destruction of cancer cells. For this purpose, a method was used for the controlled assembly of gold nanoparticles into stable clusters with a tailored absorption cross-section in the vis/NIR spectrum, which involves aggregation in alkaline medium of 15 nm diameter gold colloids protected with a thin silica layer. Clusters were further encapsulated in an ordered homogeneous mesoporous silica coating that provides biocompatibility and stability in physiological fluids. After internalization in 42-MG-BA human glioma cells, these protected gold nanoclusters were able to produce effective photothermolysis under femtosecond pulse laser irradiation of 790 nm. Cell death occurred by combination of a thermal mechanism and mechanical disruption of the membrane cell due to induced generation of micrometer-scale bubbles by vaporizing the water inside the channels of the mesoporous silica coating. Moreover, the incorporation of 20(S)-camptothecin within the pores of the external shell, which was released during the process, provoked significant cell death increase. This therapeutic model could be of interest for application in the treatment and suppression of non-solid tumors.

We report the design, synthesis, characterization and in vitro testing of a novel nanodrug based on a covalent linking model that allows intracellular controlled release of the pharmaceutical payload. A new synthetic strategy is implemented by direct coupling of as-synthesized (pyridin-2-yldisulfanyl)alkyl carbonate derivatives of camptothecin (CPT) with thiol groups of silica hybrid nanoparticles containing a non-porous core and a mesoporous shell. Upon reaction with thiols in physiological conditions, disulfide bridge cleavage occurs, releasing the naked drug after an intramolecular cyclization mechanism.Additional incorporation of a fluorophore into particles core facilitates imaging at the subcellular level for the monitoring of uptake and delivery. Confocal microscopy experiments in HeLa cervix cancer cells confirms that nanoparticles enter the cells by endocytosis but are able to escape from endo-lysosomes and enter the cytosolic compartment to release their cargo. The incorporation to cells of L-buthioninesulfoximine, a glutathione inhibitor allows concluding that the intracellular releasing mechanism is mainly driven by the reducing activity of this tripeptide. This camptothecin nanoplatform shows the same cytotoxic activity than the free drug and is clearly superior to those release systems depending on enzymatic hydrolysis (as determined by calculation of the IC 50 ratios).

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