Lysozyme as a pH-Responsive Valve for the Controlled Release of Guest Molecules from Mesoporous Silica

• Published in: Langmuir Vol. 28; no. 50; pp. 17578 - 17584
• Main Authors: Xue, Mengjun, Findenegg, Gerhard H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 18-12-2012
• Subjects: Animals; Chemistry; Chickens; Colloidal state and disperse state; Delayed-Action Preparations - chemistry; Drug Carriers - chemistry; Exact sciences and technology; General and physical chemistry; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Muramidase - chemistry; Nanoparticles - chemistry; Physical and chemical studies. Granulometry. Electrokinetic phenomena; Porous materials; Silicon Dioxide - chemistry; Binary compound; Capping; Enzyme; Nanoparticle; Blocking; Drug carrier; Porous material; Silica; Mesoporosity; Protein; Glycosylases; Pore; Glycosidases; pH; Hydrolases; Biocompatibility; Valve; Release; Lysozyme
• ISSN: 0743-7463; 1520-5827
• DOI: 10.1021/la304152j

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles show promise as a drug-carrier vehicle for biomedical applications, but the development of simple, biocompatible capping systems has remained a challenge. We have found that lysozyme molecules can act as a pH-responsive nanovalve to block and unlock the pore entrances of MCM-41 nanoparticles for guest molecules. Our experiments indicate that pore blocking is due to a pH-induced conformational change by which the effective size of the protein is changed in a reversible manner. This effect may form the basis of a controlled-release system without the need to functionalize the pore mouth and caps.