Nano Express
In Situ Loading of Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor Within Porous Silica Nanoparticles for a Prolonged Release
1 Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5B9, Canada
2 Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5C1, Canada
3 National Research Council Canada, Institute for Chemical Process and Environmental Technology, 1200 Montreal Road, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada
4 Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5B7, Canada
Nanoscale Research Letters 2009, 4:1297-1302 doi:10.1007/s11671-009-9395-6
Published: 25 July 2009Abstract
Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), a protein, plays a key role in wound healing and blood vessel regeneration. However, bFGF is easily degraded in biologic systems. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with well-tailored porous structure have been used for hosting guest molecules for drug delivery. Here, we report an in situ route to load bFGF in MSNs for a prolonged release. The average diameter (d) of bFGF-loaded MSNs is 57 ± 8 nm produced by a water-in-oil microemulsion method. The in vitro releasing profile of bFGF from MSNs in phosphate buffer saline has been monitored for 20 days through a colorimetric enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The loading efficiency of bFGF in MSNs is estimated at 72.5 ± 3%. In addition, the cytotoxicity test indicates that the MSNs are not toxic, even at a concentration of 50 μg/mL. It is expected that the in situ loading method makes the MSNs a new delivery system to deliver protein drugs, e.g. growth factors, to help blood vessel regeneration and potentiate greater angiogenesis.
