title: Multifunctional mesoporous nanoparticles as pH-responsive Fe(2+) reservoirs and artemisinin vehicles for synergistic inhibition of tumor growth.
abstract: Artemisinin (ART) is an iron-dependent anti-cancer drug. However, simultaneous delivery of hydrophobic ART and Fe(2+) ions into cancer cells remains a major challenge. Herein, we reported Fe3O4@C/Ag@mSiO2 (FCA@mSiO2) multifunctional nanocarriers which can load ART as high as 484 mg/g. Moreover, FCA@mSiO2 nanoparticles demonstrated pH-responsive Fe(2+) release, the concentration of Fe(2+) ions can reach 2.765 nmol/L in HeLa cells cultured with FCA@mSiO2 nanoparticles. The antitumor efficacy of ART-loaded FCA@mSiO2 nanoparticles measured by MTT assay was significantly enhanced compared with free ART. It was suggested that the ART-loaded FCA@mSiO2 nanoparticles are internalized by HeLa cells and located at the acidic compartments of endosomes and lysosomes, releasing Fe(2+) ions to non-enzymatically convert ART to toxic products for killing cancer cells. This result provides a way for using promising natural drugs in anti-cancer therapeutics.
authors.affiliation: Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, China & Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, CAS High Magnetic Field Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Anhui Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics and Chemical Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, China. Electronic address: zhenguo@ustc.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Radiology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China. Electronic address: whblqh@mail.ustc.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Hai-Bao
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Anhui Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics and Chemical Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, China.
authors.forename: Jia-Jia
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale and School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, China.
authors.forename: Wei-Jie
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, China & Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, CAS High Magnetic Field Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China. Electronic address: cqw@ustc.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Qian-Wang
authors.initials: QW
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D037621:Artemisinins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry*; D004705:Endocytosis / Q000187:drug effects; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007501:Iron / Q000494:pharmacology*; D061986:MCF-7 Cells; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D016062:Porosity; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D037621:Artemisinins; D004337:Drug Carriers; D005290:Ferric Compounds; C000499:ferric oxide; D012834:Silver; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; C031327:artemisinin; D007501:Iron
keywords: Fe(2+) ions reservoirs; Free radicals; Hydropobic artemisinin vehicles; Mesoporous magnetic nanocarriers