Nanoparticles are an innovative platform for cancer treatment that reduces systemic toxicity and allows for active targeting of tumor sites to enhance the therapeutic efficacy. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have emerged as an attractive drug delivery system due to their high surface area, vast functionalization potential, and biocompatibility. The main goal of this project is to use MSNs as a target-specific vehicle for the simultaneous delivery of cisplatin and gemcitabine. Both drugs were chemically grafted to the MSNs via stimuli-responsive linkers that respond to the high reducing environment and low pH in cancer cells. The loading of cisplatin is around 16 %wt. and for gemcitabine is 17 %wt. according to our measurements based on atomic absorption (AA) and UV-vis spectroscopy. Moreover, the drug-loaded MSN material was further modified with folic acid to enhance its targeting ability toward cancer cells overexpressing folate receptors. The stimuli-responsive linkers and MSN materials were fully characterized with a wide variety of spectroscopy and microscopy techniques. The release profile of both prodrugs under specific conditions has been investigated by AA and UV-vis spectroscopy. We have carried out <i>in vitro</i> toxic studies on human cervical cancer (HeLa) cells in the presence of different ratios of cisplatin/gemcitabine to determine the best combination to kill HeLa cells. Flow cytometry showed the successful targeting effect of the folic acid-functionalized MSNs toward HeLa cells. We have also studied the cytotoxicity of the MSNs carrying individual drugs and the combinatory system using the MTS assay.

Target-specific mesoporous silica nanoparticles for combination therapy of cisplatin and gemcitabine to treat cancer

251st National Meeting (2016)

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