Luminescent silicon-based nanocarrier for drug delivery in colorectal cancer cells

Nanocarriers sensitive to exogenous or endogenous stimuli emerged as an attractive alternative to target drug delivery, with inorganic silica mesoporous nanoparticles (MNs) playing a core role in the development of a new generation of non-toxic and tuneable nanocarriers. A sensitive nanovector (NANO1) comprising luminescent silicon quantum dots (SiQDs) and functionalized with MNs was synthesised and loaded with doxorubicin (DOX). NANO1 nanoparticles have a size of 74 ± 10 nm and DOX loading percentages of ca. 43%. As a control sample, a similar nanocarrier (NANO2), without SiQDs, was also synthesised and loaded with DOX. Release profile studies, in PBS, revealed the strong NANO1@DOX pH-dependant behaviour, with a pH 5.0 favouring the release of DOX to percentages of ca. 70%. Cytotoxicity assessments of both free and DOX-loaded nanocarriers were evaluated in human cell lines of colon, revealing both free drug and drug-loaded nanoparticles to be concentration-dependent.