Intracellular delivery of a native functional protein using cell-penetrating peptide functionalized cubic MSNs with ultra-large mesopores.

The intracellular delivery of functional proteins in their native forms into cells is a theme of paramount importance in research owing to their diverse biological applications. Porous inorganic nanoparticles are emerging as efficient nanocarriers for the delivery of small molecules and drugs. To expand the range of cargos from small molecules to large native functional proteins, cubic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (cMSNs) with a Pm3n pore symmetry with an average particle dimension of 180 nm were prepared.