From proof-of-concept material to PEGylated and modularly targeted ultrasound-responsive mesoporous silica nanoparticles.

In this work we present the synthesis, characterization and in vitro biological evaluation of PEGylated and actively-targeted ultrasound-responsive hybrid mesoporous silica nanoparticles. This work covers the development of the chemical strategies necessary to afford a modular nanocarrier starting from a proof-of-concept material presented in previous work. This functional ultrasound-responsive material can be adapted to different specific pathological conditions by carefully choosing the appropriate targeting moieties. The new ultrasound responsive material is able to target HeLa cells when conjugated with biotin or an RGD peptide. Ultrasound-responsive cytotoxicity towards cancer cells of doxorubicin-loaded nanoparticles is demonstrated in an in vitro cytotoxicity assay.