Encapsulation of dihydroartemisinin with tannic acid/Fe coated hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles for tumor therapy

The peroxide bridge present in dihydroartemisinin (DHA) can be efficiently catalyzed by transition metals, resulting in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that exhibit potent anti-tumor effects. In this study, we developed a novel nanocarrier system by loading DHA into hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSN) and incorporating a tumor microenvironment-sensitive gating system consisting of TA/Fe complex. This newly developed nanocarrier, termed HMSN-DHA@TA/Fe, demonstrated remarkable anti-tumor effects specifically within the tumor microenvironment. The release profile of HMSN-DHA@TA/Fe was evaluated, revealing a pH-responsive release mechanism, with a release rate of 42.5% observed at pH= 5. Importantly, cellular experiments demonstrated that the survival ratio of HMSN-DHA@TA/Fe on normal cells exceeded 85%. Conversely, the survival ratio of tumor cells was significantly reduced to only 50%, highlighting the selective cytotoxicity of the nanocarrier towards cancer cells. Furthermore, the inhibitory efficacy of HMSN-DHA@TA/Fe against solid tumors was evaluated in vivo, demonstrating its potent anti-tumor activity. The nanocarrier exhibited a significant ability to suppress tumor growth, underscoring its potential as a promising therapeutic strategy for solid tumors.