Chitosan-modified mesoporous silica nanoparticles for the oral delivery of Norcantharidin: In vitro and in vivo assessment

Abstract

The oral delivery of drugs can be severely limited by stomach acid degradation, mucus clearance, and intestinal epithelial impermeability. To simultaneously address these three major barriers, two different sizes chitosan (CS) modified mesoporous silica nanoparticles (CS-MSN) were successfully prepared. The results demonstrated that both MSN possessed spherical mesoporous structure and good porosity. Besides, Norcantharidin (NCTD) could be loaded into the silica carriers, the release profile illustrate that the carriers can make NCTD to achieve sustained release, it was also found that the carriers can reduce the gastrointestinal disruption and improve the bioavailability of NCTD, the anti-cancer effect of CS-MSN loaded with NCTD were significantly increased in mice, compared with free NCTD, and smaller sized nanoparticles were found to be better than larger ones.