Mussel-inspired polydopamine coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles as pH-sensitive nanocarriers for controlled release.

A novel pH-sensitive controlled release system is proposed by using mussel-inspired polydopamine (PDA) coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) as nanocarriers. MSNs with a large pore diameter are synthesized by using 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene as a pore-expanding agent and are modified with a PDA coating by virtue of oxidative self-polymerization of dopamine in neutral pH. PDA coated MSNs are characterized by FTIR, TEM, N₂ adsorption and XPS techniques. The PDA coating can work as pH-sensitive gatekeepers to control the release of drug molecules from MSNs in response to the pH-stimulus. Doxorubicin (DOX, an anticancer drug) can be released in the acid media and blocked in the neutral media.