Ordered DNA-Surfactant Hybrid Nanospheres Triggered by Magnetic Cationic Surfactants for Photon- and Magneto-Manipulated Drug Delivery and Release.

Here we construct for the first time ordered surfactant-DNA hybrid nanospheres of double-strand (ds) DNA and cationic surfactants with magnetic counterion, FeCl3Br. The specificity of the magnetic cationic surfactants that can compact DNA at high concentrations makes it possible for building ordered nanospheres through aggregation, fusion, and coagulation. Cationic surfactants with conventional Br(-) cannot produce spheres under the same condition because they lose the DNA compaction ability. When a light-responsive magnetic cationic surfactant is used to produce nanospheres, a dual-controllable drug-delivery platform can be built simply by the applications of external magnetic force and alternative UV and visible light. These nanospheres obtain high drug absorption efficiency, slow release property, and good biocompatibility. There is potential for effective magnetic-field-based targeted drug delivery, followed by photocontrollable drug release. We deduce that our results might be of great interest for making new functional nucleic-acid-based nanomachines and be envisioned to find applications in nanotechnology and biochemistry.