Hybrid nanoparticles for drug delivery and bioimaging: Mesoporous silica nanoparticles functionalized with carboxyl groups and a near-infrared fluorescent dye

The development of a drug delivery system with fluorescent biolabels is important in anti-cancer drug delivery application due to the potential for simultaneous diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Here, we reported the synthesis and multiple functionalization of mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN) for bioimaging and controlled drug release. After the functionalization with carboxyl group, the nanoparticles exhibited much better dispersity and stability in aqueous solution than MSN. Furthermore, a substantial doxorubicin (DOX) loading level was achieved and DOX-loaded nanoparticles exhibited noticeable pH-sensitive behavior with accelerated release of DOX in acidic environment. Compared with native DOX–MSN, DOX–MSN/COOH–Cy5 exhibited enhanced intracellular uptake efficacy and stronger effect on killing tumor cells. Meanwhile, it was observed that the MSN/COOH–Cy5 was able to locate in the cytoplasm of MCF-7 cells and could accumulate in tumor tissues for a long period of time. Overall, the functional nanoparticle could potentially be used for simultaneous controlled drug release and near-infrared fluorescent bioimaging.

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► MSN/COOH–Cy5 was synthesized for bioimaging and controlled drug release.
► DOX–MSN/COOH–Cy5 exhibited noticeable pH-sensitive drug release behavior.
► MSN/COOH–Cy5 was able to locate in the cytoplasm of MCF-7 cells.
► MSN/COOH–Cy5 could accumulate in tumor tissues for a long period of time.