Hung-Chang Chou

Amphiphilic drugs are therapeutic agents whose molecular structures contain both hydrophobic and hydrophilic portions. Here we report a systematic study on how amphiphilic drugs can assist in silica nanoprecipitation. 3-Mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) was used as the sole silica material and 12 amphiphilic drugs spanning a wide spectrum of therapeutic categories were included. MPTMS polycondensation was conducted in a DMSO-based organic phase. After a sufficient time, particle formation was induced by injecting a small amount of the organic phase into a water solution containing various amphiphiles. The results show that all amphiphilic drugs studied exerted concentration-dependent facilitating effect on nanoparticle formation. Under certain preparation conditions, the particle solution showed physical stability over a long period and the formed particles can be as small as 100 nm. By systematically varying drug concentrations and injection volumes, the ability of each amphiphile to promote nanopre...

Supramolecular interaction of S-nitroso-polysilsesquioxane and doxorubicin leads to a single nanocarrier for simultaneous intracellular delivery of nitric oxide and doxorubicin.

Preformed protein corona of nanoparticles can be utilized as a promising formulation strategy for improving nano drug delivery. Nitric oxide (NO) is a labile molecule with extensive therapeutic implications. In this study, we test whether preformation of protein coatings can enhance the performance of NO-delivering nanoparticles. S-Nitroso (SNO) silica nanoparticles (SNO-SiNPs) were prepared using a nanoprecipitation method. For the first time, bovine serum albumin (BSA) was used to coat NO-releasing nanoparticles, facilitated by a polyanionic drug, suramin, under a layer-by-layer (LbL) scheme. Bare and coated nanoparticles were characterized by zeta-potential, size, and spectroscopic measurements. We demonstrate that albumin/suramin-surface coassembly has advantages in preventing particle aggregation during lyophilization, controlling NO release and exerting an enhanced anticancer effect.

In this article, we report a novel, nanoprecipitation-based method for preparing silica nanoparticles with thiol and amine cofunctionalization. (3-Mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) and 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS) were used as the organosilane precursors, which were subjected to acid-catalyzed polycondensation in an organic phase containing a water-miscible solvent (e.g., dimethyl sulfoxide). A pale colloidal solution could be immediately formed when the preincubated organic phase was directly injected into water. The initial composition ratio between MPTMS and APTMS is an important factor governing the formation of nanoparticles. Specifically, large, unstable micrometer-sized particles were formed for preparation using MPTMS as the sole silane source. In contrast, when APTMS was used alone, no particles could be formed. By reducing the fraction of APTMS (or increasing that of MPTMS) in the initial mixture of organosilanes, the formation of nanometer-sized particles occurred at a critical fraction of APTMS (i.e., 25%). Remarkably, a tiny fraction (e.g., 1%) of APTMS was sufficient to produce stable nanoparticles with a hydrodynamic diameter of about 200 nm. Other factors that would also affect particle formation were determined. Moreover, an interesting temperature effect on particle formation was observed. The TEM micrographs show spherical nanospheres with mean sizes of 130–150 nm in diameter. The solid-state ²⁹Si NMR spectra demonstrate that the hybrid silica materials contain fully and partially condensed silicon structures. The bifunctionalized silica nanoparticles have positive zeta potentials whose magnitudes are positively correlated with the amount of APTMS. The total thiol content, however, is negatively correlated with the amount of APTMS. The cationic nanoparticles can bind an antisense oligonucleotide in a composition-dependent manner.

Nitric oxide (NO) is a ubiquitous molecule in the body. Because of its multiple pathophysiologic roles, the potential for treating various diseases by the exogenous administration of NO has been under intensive investigation. However, the unstable, radical nature of NO poses a major challenge to the effective delivery of NO. Previously, silica nanoparticles synthesized by the traditional method have been developed into NO-carrying systems. In the present study, for the first time NO-carrying silica nanoparticles were prepared from a single silica precursor using a simple nanoprecipitation method. (3-Mercaptopropyl)-trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) was used as the sole silane source, which was subjected to acid-catalyzed S-nitrosation and condensation reactions in a one-pot organic phase. S-Nitroso silica nanoparticles (SNO-SiNPs) were then produced by injecting a smaller quantity of the organic phase into a larger amount of water without surfactants. Various preparation parameters were tested to obtain optimized conditions. Moreover, a phase diagram demonstrating the ouzo effect was constructed. The prepared SNO-SiNPs were spherical particles with a tunable size in the range of 100–400 nm. The nanoparticles in aqueous dispersions exhibited high colloid stability, possibly resulting from highly negatively charged surfaces. The result of solid-state ²⁹Si NMR shows the predominance of T² and T³ silicon structures, suggesting that nanoparticles were formed from polycondensed silica species. In conclusion, NO-loaded silica nanoparticles have been directly prepared from a single silane precursor using a surfactant-free, low-energy, one-step nanoprecipitation approach. The method precludes the need for the initial formation of bare particles and subsequent functionalization steps.