Abstract
Silver (Ag)-grafted PMA (poly-methacrylic acid, sodium salt) nanocomposite loaded with sorafenib tosylate (SFT), an anticancer drug, showed good capability as a drug carrier allowing on-demand control of the dose, timing and duration of the drug release by laser irradiation stimuli. In this study, the preparation of Ag-PMA capsules loaded with SFT by using sacrificial silica microparticles as templates was reported. A high drug loading (DL%) of ∼13% and encapsulation efficiency (EE%) of about 76% were obtained. The photo-release profiles were regulated via the adjustment of light wavelength and power intensity. A significant improvement of SFT release (14% vs. 21%) by comparing SFT-Ag-PMA capsules with Ag-PMA colloids under the same experimental conditions was observed. Moreover, an increase of drug release by up to 35% was reached by tuning the laser irradiation wavelength near to Ag nanoparticles’ surface plasmon resonance (SPR). These experimental results together with more economical use of the active component suggest the potentiality of SFT-Ag-PMA capsules as a smart drug delivery system.
Highlights
Over the last few years, a rapid increase in research on mesoporous silica particles (MSPs) as drug carriers for the treatment of several diseases, has been observed [1,2]
We report the loading of sorafenib tosylate (SFT) inside Ag-poly(methacrylic acid) (PMA) nanocapsules, which were obtained via solid core/mesoporous shell (SC/MS) template strategy
SFT-Ag-PMA capsules obtained by using sacrificial silica microparticle templates, showed better
Summary
Over the last few years, a rapid increase in research on mesoporous silica particles (MSPs) as drug carriers for the treatment of several diseases, has been observed [1,2]. The significant in vivo toxicity of MSPs, ranging from 150 nm to 4 μm, by intravenous and intraperitoneal administration [9,10] (caused by a low stability in water media of MSPs loaded with poorly water soluble drugs [11,12]), limited their applications as drug carriers. To overcome these drawbacks, several parameters, such as particle size, morphology, chemical composition and pore size have been investigated [13]. A suitable functionalization of the large surface area of MSPs was widely investigated in Molecules 2020, 25, 2267; doi:10.3390/molecules25092267 www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules
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