Biodegradable Peptide-Silica Nanodonuts

Abstract

We report hybrid organosilica toroidal particles containing a short peptide sequence as the organic component of the hybrid systems. Once internalised in cancer cells, the presence of the peptide allows for interaction with peptidase enzymes, which attack the nanocarrier effectively triggering its structural breakdown. Moreover, these biodegradable nanovectors are characterised by high cellular uptake and exocytosis, showing great potential as biodegradable drug carriers. To demonstrate this feature, doxorubicin was employed and its delivery in HeLa cells investigated.

Keywords: biodegradability; breakable particles; drug delivery; hybrid organosilica particles; materials science.