Periodic Mesoporous Ionosilica Nanoparticles for BODIPY Delivery and Photochemical Internalization of siRNA

Periodic mesoporous ionosilica nanoparticles incorporating porphyrin, a fully biocompatible multifunctional platform, exhibit the ability to perform photodynamic therapy, gene therapy by siRNA transport as well as the delivery of small hydrophobic molecules. These features are possible due to their high loading capacity, their pH-sensitive drug release and their gene silencing induced by photochemical internalization.

Abstract

Periodic Mesoporous Ionosilica Nanoparticles (PMINPs) made via co-condensation reactions starting from an ionosilica precursor and a porphyrin derivative were used for simultaneous BODIPY/siRNA delivery in cancer cells. We observed high BODIPY loading capacities and efficiencies of the PMINPs that are triggered by anion exchange. siRNA adsorption took place on the surface of the nanoparticles, whereas BODIPY was encapsulated within the core of the nanoparticles. BODIPY release was found to be pH-dependent. Our results indicate 94 % BODIPY release after 16 h at pH 4, whereas only 2 % were released at pH 7.4. Furthermore, complexation with siRNA against luciferase gene was observed at the surface of PMINPs and gene silencing through its delivery via photochemical internalization (PCI) mechanism was efficient in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells expressing stable luciferase.

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