Hollow Mesoporous Silica Nanocarriers with Multifunctional Capping Agents for In Vivo Cancer Imaging and Therapy |
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Authors: | Shun Yang Dongyun Chen Najun Li Qingfeng Xu Hua Li Frank Gu Jianping Xie Jianmei Lu |
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Affiliation: | 1. College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou, P. R. China;2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada;3. Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore |
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Abstract: | Efficient drug loading and selectivity in drug delivery are two key features of a good drug‐carrier design. Here we report on such a drug carrier formed by using hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMS NPs) as the core and specifically designed multifunctional amphiphilic agents as the encapsulating shell. These nanocarriers combine the advantages of the HMS NP core (favorable physical and structural properties) and the versatility of an organic‐based shell (e.g., specificity in chemical properties and modifiability). Moreover, both the properties of the core and the shell can be independently varied. The varied core and shell could then be integrated into a single device (drug carrier) to provide efficient and specific drug delivery. In vitro and in vivo data suggests that these drug nanocarriers are biocompatible and are able to deliver hydrophobic drugs selectively to target tumor cells. After the break of the pH‐labile linkages in the shell, the drug payload can be released and the tumor cells are killed. |
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Keywords: | core– shell materials biocompatible materials mesoporous materials drug delivery hollow spheres |
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