Mesoporous hydroxyapatite nanoparticles hydrothermally synthesized in aqueous solution with hexametaphosphate and tea polyphenols

•Mesoporous HA is hydrothermally prepared using hexametaphosphate.•Mesoporous HA with tailored physiochemical properties are prepared using polyphenols.•Polyphenols make mesoporous HA more pH-responsive for Dox delivery.

Mesoporous hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles with high surface area have been widely investigated for drug delivery. Herein we report a facile and simple strategy for the preparation of such materials using hexametaphosphate salt as inorganic phosphorus source. In the hydrothermal processing, hexametaphosphate plays an important role in the formation of mesoporous structure. The as-prepared mesoporous HA nanoparticles can be candidates for pH-responsive anticancer drug delivery by using doxorubicin (Dox) as a model drug. Furthermore, modification of these mesoporous HA nanoparticles using tea polyphenols is attempted. The presence of tea polyphenols in the HA synthesis processing result in mesoporous HA nanoparticles with tailored morphology and properties, making them more pH-sensitive for drug delivery. Both hexametaphosphate and tea polyphenols can be potential chemical sources in synthesizing mesoporous HA.

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