Highly water-soluble, porous, and biocompatible boron nitrides for anticancer drug delivery

ACS Nano. 2014 Jun 24;8(6):6123-30. doi: 10.1021/nn5014808. Epub 2014 May 7.

Abstract

Developing materials for "Nano-vehicles" with clinically approved drugs encapsulated is envisaged to enhance drug therapeutic effects and reduce the adverse effects. However, design and preparation of the biomaterials that are porous, nontoxic, soluble, and stable in physiological solutions and could be easily functionalized for effective drug deliveries are still challenging. Here, we report an original and simple thermal substitution method to fabricate perfectly water-soluble and porous boron nitride (BN) materials featuring unprecedentedly high hydroxylation degrees. These hydroxylated BNs are biocompatible and can effectively load anticancer drugs (e.g., doxorubicin, DOX) up to contents three times exceeding their own weight. The same or even fewer drugs that are loaded on such BN carriers exhibit much higher potency for reducing the viability of LNCaP cancer cells than free drugs.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adsorption
  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / administration & dosage*
  • Biocompatible Materials / chemistry*
  • Boron Compounds / chemistry
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Doxorubicin / administration & dosage*
  • Drug Carriers*
  • Humans
  • Hydroxylation
  • Mice
  • Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
  • Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
  • NIH 3T3 Cells
  • Nanomedicine / methods*
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Porosity
  • Solubility
  • Water / chemistry

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Biocompatible Materials
  • Boron Compounds
  • Drug Carriers
  • Water
  • boron nitride
  • Doxorubicin