title: A preloaded amorphous calcium carbonate/doxorubicin@silica nanoreactor for pH-responsive delivery of an anticancer drug.
abstract: Biomedical applications of nontoxic amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) nanoparticles have mainly been restricted because of their aqueous instability. To improve their stability in physiological environments while retaining their pH-responsiveness, a novel nanoreactor of ACC-doxorubicin (DOX)@silica was developed for drug delivery for use in cancer therapy. As a result of its rationally engineered structure, this nanoreactor maintains a low drug leakage in physiological and lysosomal/endosomal environments, and responds specifically to pH 6.5 to release the drug. This unique ACC-DOX@silica nanoreactor releases DOX precisely in the weakly acidic microenvironment of cancer cells and results in efficient cell death, thus showing its great potential as a desirable chemotherapeutic nanosystem for cancer therapy.
authors.affiliation: Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371 (Singapore) http://www.ntu.edu.sg/home/zhaoyanli/
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Zhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Menghuan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Qiuyu
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Xing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Shu-Hong
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Yanli
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002119:Calcium Carbonate / Q000737:chemistry*; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004337:Drug Carriers; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D004317:Doxorubicin; D002119:Calcium Carbonate
keywords: amorphous calcium carbonate; antitumor agents; doxorubicin; drug delivery; medicinal chemistry