Photo-responsive magnetic mesoporous silica nanocomposites for magnetic targeted cancer therapy

We report a multifunctional drug delivery platform (Au NR@SiO2/Ce@Dox@PDA@aptamer, abbreviated as PP-Dox nanocomposites) for enhancing non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment with controlled drug release, magnetic targeting and specific cancer cell targeting. The platform is composed of polydopamine (PDA) as gatekeepers, gold nanorods (Au NRs) as local photothermal generators, S6 aptamers as targeting ligands and magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (mSiO2) containing high payloads of Ce with cross-linking ligands as drug containers and magnetic targeting agents. Upon uptake into cells or stimulation under a near-infrared (NIR) laser, pH and photothermally triggered drug release was observed. When target cancer cells are absent, the cellular uptake of PP-Dox nanocomposites is suppressed and displays poor treatment effect. However, when target cancer cells are present, more PP-Dox nanocomposites enter into cells because of the specific recognition between aptamers and targeted cells, resulting in an excellent treatment effect. Furthermore, the magnetic field and photothermal effect also supply a more effective therapeutic outcome than chemotherapy alone. We believe that the PP-Dox multifunctional platform has great potential in targeted cancer therapy for enhancing therapeutic efficiency.