Mesoporous nanoparticles have emerged as promising nanocarriers in biomedical fields to encapsulate and deliver cargos due to high loading capacities and enhanced stability over other nanocarriers. Supported membranes are required on mesoporous nanoparticles to keep cargos encapsulated. They also play important roles in particle stability under physiological conditions, specific interactions with targets, and a controlled release of cargos. Despite high biocompatibility and low inherent toxicity, lipid bilayers have limitations of their use as supported membranes in potential applications of mesoporous nanoparticles due to poor physical and chemical stability. In comparison with lipid bilayers, polymer bilayers are robust and can offer chemical versatility. Here, we employ hybrid bilayers composed of natural phospholipids and synthetic diblock copolymers for supported membranes on mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSP). We confirm formation of supported hybrid bilayers on different MSPs with small and large pore size. Our results from cryogenic electron microscopy show that the supported hybrid bilayers are formed by successive steps of adsorption, deformation, and rupture of hybrid vesicles on the MSPs. <i>In vitro</i> release of encapsulated drug molecule from MSPs coated with hybrid bilayers demonstrates enhanced mechanical stability of supported hybrid bilayers compared to supported lipid bilayers. Our findings suggest that hybrid lipid-polymer bilayers may provide synergistic membrane properties in the development of artificial organelles.<br/>

Mesoporous nanoparticle-supported hybrid bilayers for drug delivery

255th National Meeting (2018)

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