Versatile surface engineering of porous nanomaterials with bioinspired polyphenol coatings for targeted and controlled drug delivery

The development of biocompatible drug delivery systems with targeted recognition and controlled release has experienced a number of design challenges, including, for example, complicated preparation steps and premature drug release. Herein, we address these problems through an in situ self-polymerization method that synthesizes biodegradable polyphenol-coated porous nanomaterials for targeted and controlled drug delivery. As a proof of concept, we synthesized polyphenol-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles, termed MSN@polyphenol. The polyphenol coatings not only improved colloidal stability and prevented premature drug leakage, but also provided a scaffold for immobilization of targeting moieties, such as aptamers. Both immobilization of targeting aptamers and synthesis of polyphenol coating are easily accomplished without the aid of any other organic reagents. Importantly, the polyphenol coating (EGCg) used in this study could be biodegraded by acidic pH and intracellular glutathione, resulting in the release of trapped anticancer drugs. Based on confocal fluorescence microscopy and cytotoxicity experiments, drug-loaded and polyphenol-coated MSNs were shown to possess highly efficient internalization and an apparent cytotoxic effect on target cancer, but not control, cells. Our results suggest that these highly biocompatible and biodegradable polyphenol-coated MSNs are promising vectors for controlled-release biomedical applications and cancer therapy.