Biodegradable organosilica magnetic micelles for magnetically targeted MRI and GSH-triggered tumor chemotherapy

Biomater Sci. 2019 Jun 25;7(7):2951-2960. doi: 10.1039/c9bm00342h.

Abstract

Recently, block copolymer micelles have attracted widespread attention due to their controlled biodegradability and excellent loading capability. Unfortunately, the poor in vivo stability and low delivery efficiency of drug-loaded micelles greatly hampered their biomedical applications. Herein, we develop a new kind of biodegradable magnetite/doxorubicin (Fe3O4/DOX) co-loaded PEGylated organosilica micelles (designated as FDPOMs) with both high circulating stability and smart GSH-triggered biodegradability for magnetically targeted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and tumor chemotherapy. The FDPOMs are prepared by the self-assembly of biodegradable polycaprolactone-block-poly(glutamic acid) (PCL-b-PGA), a chemotherapeutic DOX drug and Fe3O4 nanoparticles in an oil/water system, subsequent organosilica cross-linking with 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) molecules and surface PEGylation. The resultant FDPOMs exhibit excellent dispersity and stability in biological media, remarkable T2-weighted MR imaging capability, unique GSH-responsive release behavior and selective toxicity to tumor cells. The in vivo experiments show that the FDPOMs not only have improved MR tumor imaging capability, but also exhibit high anti-tumor efficacy due to the strong magnetic targeting ability under an external magnetic field. Consequently, the FDPOMs are promising candidates for magnetically targeted MR imaging and imaging-guided tumor chemotherapy.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Doxorubicin / chemistry
  • Doxorubicin / pharmacology*
  • Drug Carriers / chemistry
  • Drug Carriers / metabolism
  • Drug Liberation
  • Glutathione / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
  • Magnetite Nanoparticles / chemistry*
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Micelles*
  • NIH 3T3 Cells
  • Organosilicon Compounds / chemistry*
  • Organosilicon Compounds / metabolism*
  • Polyesters / chemistry
  • Polyglutamic Acid / chemistry
  • Safety

Substances

  • Drug Carriers
  • Magnetite Nanoparticles
  • Micelles
  • Organosilicon Compounds
  • Polyesters
  • polycaprolactone
  • Polyglutamic Acid
  • Doxorubicin
  • Glutathione