title: In situ loading of basic fibroblast growth factor within porous silica nanoparticles for a prolonged release.
abstract: Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), a protein, plays a key role in wound healing and blood vessel regeneration. However, bFGF is easily degraded in biologic systems. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with well-tailored porous structure have been used for hosting guest molecules for drug delivery. Here, we report an in situ route to load bFGF in MSNs for a prolonged release. The average diameter (d) of bFGF-loaded MSNs is 57 ± 8 nm produced by a water-in-oil microemulsion method. The in vitro releasing profile of bFGF from MSNs in phosphate buffer saline has been monitored for 20 days through a colorimetric enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The loading efficiency of bFGF in MSNs is estimated at 72.5 ± 3%. In addition, the cytotoxicity test indicates that the MSNs are not toxic, even at a concentration of 50 μg/mL. It is expected that the in situ loading method makes the MSNs a new delivery system to deliver protein drugs, e.g. growth factors, to help blood vessel regeneration and potentiate greater angiogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5B9, Canada. jzhang@eng.uwo.ca.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lynne-Marie
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Postovit
authors.forename: Dashan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Richard B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Gardiner
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: Muminmd
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abdul
authors.forename: Anualice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thomas