The properties of mesoporous silica nanoparticles functionalized with different PEG-chain length via the disulfide bond linker and drug release in glutathione medium

AbstractIn this paper, a novel drug-loaded material (MSNs-SS-PEG) was obtained by grafting the thiol-linked methoxy polyethylene glycol (MeOPEG-SH) onto the thiol-functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs-SH) via the disulfide bond linker. In our designed experiment, three different chain lengths of PEG (PEG1000, PEG5000, and PEG1000-PEG5000) were used. The silica materials were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), dynamic light scattering, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption–desorption measurements, and X-ray diffraction. The morphology of the MSNs-SS-PEG was spherical with an average diameter of about 150 nm. Due to the covalent modification of hydrophilic MeOPEG, the MSNs-SS-PEG was coated by a thin polymer shell, showing stable and inerratic MCM-41 type mesoporous structure as well as high specific surface areas and large pore volumes. Moreover, the releases of doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) from th...