Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Vol.480, 39-48, 2016
pH and redox-operated nanovalve for size-selective cargo delivery on hollow mesoporous silica spheres
A pH and redox dual-responsive nanovalve with a long stalk was introduced on the surface of hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSs-S1) to achieve cargo size selectivity delivery. The responsive nanovalve was designed by constructing of a stalk/beta-cyclodextrins (CDs) supramolecular complex, which is based on an acid-labile acetal group and the host-guest interactions between beta-cyclodextrins and ferrocenyl moiety (Fc). With stimulation by different pH and H2O2, Rhodamine 6G showed well-responsive behavior. On account of the long stalks of nanovalve, doxorubicin hydrochloride and 5-fluorouracil with different sized cargos are encapsulated in HMSs-S1 to test its behavior of cargo size-selective delivery. Moreover the HMSs-S2 with a short stalk based on beta-CDs/Fc inclusion complex is synthesized to load small sized 5-FU drug as contrast experiment. Compared with HMSs-S2, HMSs-S1 is compatible with larger drug molecules such as Rhodamine 6G (R6G) and doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX), while small sized 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is unable to be sealed by the nanovalve. Dual responsiveness and drug size selectivity make mechanized HMSs possess potential applications in drug delivery system. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords:Hollow mesoporous silica spheres;Dual-responsive;Supramolecular nanovalve;Cargo size-selective;Drug delivery system