Safe and Effective Reversal of Cancer Multidrug Resistance Using Sericin-Coated Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Lysosome-Targeting Delivery in Mice.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) and adverse side effects are the major challenges facing cancer chemotherapy. Here, pH/protease dually responsive, sericin-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (SMSNs) for lysosomal delivery of doxorubicin (DOX) to overcome MDR and reduce systemic toxicity are reported. Sericin, a natural protein from silkworm cocoons, is coated onto MSNs as a gatekeeper via pH sensitive imine linkages. The sericin shell prevents the premature leakage of encapsulated DOX from MSNs in extracellular environment. Once reaching drug-resistant tumors, sericin's cell-adhesive bioactivity enhances cellular uptake of SMSNs that are in turn transported into perinuclear lysosomes, thus avoiding drug efflux mediated by membrane-bound pumps. Lysosomal acidity triggers cleavage of pH sensitive linkage between sericin and MSNs concurrently with lysosomal proteases deconstructing sericin shell. This pH/protease dual responsiveness leads to DOX burst release into cell nuclei, inducing effective cell death, thus reversing MDR. These DOX-loaded SMSNs not only effectively kill drug-resistant cells in vitro, but also significantly reduce the growth of DOX-resistant MCF-7/ADR (breast cancer cells) tumor by 70% in a preclinical animal model without eliciting systemic toxicity frequently encountered in current clinical therapeutic formulations. Thus, the dually responsive SMSNs are an effective, lysosome-tropic, and bio-safe delivery system for chemotherapeutics for combating MDR.