RESUMEN
Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) represent a promising avenue for targeted brain tumor therapy. However, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) often presents a formidable obstacle to efficient drug delivery. This study introduces a ligand-free PEGylated MSN variant (RMSN25-PEG-TA) with a 25 nm size and a slight positive charge, which exhibits superior BBB penetration. Utilizing two-photon imaging, RMSN25-PEG-TA particles remained in circulation for over 24 h, indicating significant traversal beyond the cerebrovascular realm. Importantly, DOX@RMSN25-PEG-TA, our MSN loaded with doxorubicin (DOX), harnessed the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect to achieve a 6-fold increase in brain accumulation compared to free DOX. In vivo evaluations confirmed the potent inhibition of orthotopic glioma growth by DOX@RMSN25-PEG-TA, extending survival rates in spontaneous brain tumor models by over 28% and offering an improved biosafety profile. Advanced LC-MS/MS investigations unveiled a distinctive protein corona surrounding RMSN25-PEG-TA, suggesting proteins such as apolipoprotein E and albumin could play pivotal roles in enabling its BBB penetration. Our results underscore the potential of ligand-free MSNs in treating brain tumors, which supports the development of future drug-nanoparticle design paradigms.
Asunto(s)
Barrera Hematoencefálica , Doxorrubicina , Portadores de Fármacos , Nanopartículas , Dióxido de Silicio , Animales , Humanos , Ratones , Antibióticos Antineoplásicos/farmacología , Antibióticos Antineoplásicos/química , Antibióticos Antineoplásicos/administración & dosificación , Barrera Hematoencefálica/metabolismo , Barrera Hematoencefálica/efectos de los fármacos , Neoplasias Encefálicas/tratamiento farmacológico , Neoplasias Encefálicas/metabolismo , Neoplasias Encefálicas/patología , Línea Celular Tumoral , Doxorrubicina/farmacología , Doxorrubicina/química , Portadores de Fármacos/química , Glioma/tratamiento farmacológico , Glioma/metabolismo , Glioma/patología , Ligandos , Nanopartículas/química , Tamaño de la Partícula , Polietilenglicoles/química , Porosidad , Dióxido de Silicio/químicaRESUMEN
Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) hold great potential as a versatile platform for biomedical applications, especially drug delivery. However, evidence shows that MSNs even when PEGylated are rapidly cleared from the bloodstream by the monocyte phagocytic system. Erythrocytes, also called red blood cells (RBCs), can serve as biocompatible carriers of various bioactive substances, including drugs, enzymes, and peptides. In this work, we synthesize a series of fluorescent PEGylated MSNs with different synthetic diameters ranging from 10 to 200 nm and investigate the size effect on their encapsulation in human RBCs (hRBCs) by a hypotonic dialysis-based method. According to fluorescence images and flow cytometry analyses, we demonstrated that a hydrodynamic diameter below 30 nm is critical for efficient MSN encapsulation. Confocal microscopy and scanning electron microscopy images further confirmed that PEGylated MSNs were successfully embedded inside RBC. PEGylation serves an important role not only for stabilizing MSNs in biological milieu but also for reducing significant hemolysis caused by bare MSNs and thus for successful encapsulation. In addition to PEGylation, we further introduce positively charged functional groups onto the MSNs to show that nanoparticle-encapsulated hRBCs could serve as depots for delivering biological molecules through electrostatic attraction or chemical conjugation with MSNs. Also, we verify the existence of CD47 membrane protein, a marker of self, on the nanoparticle-encapsulated hRBCs and assess its ability of circulation in the blood, which could act as a circulation reservoir for delivering pharmacological substances through an osmosis-based method with MSNs.