In situ carbonization metamorphoses porous silica particles into biodegradable therapeutic carriers of lesser consequence on TGF-β1 mediated fibrosis

Extensive modifications have been made to the synthesis protocol for porous silica particles to improve the shape, size and yield percentage, but problems associated with improvement in biodegradability and decrease in chances to induce side effects still remain a concern. To circumvent these limitations, a facile modification strategy has been employed through in situ carbonization of porous silica particles. Herein, carbon particles were integrated within porous silica core-shell particles (Si-P-CNPs) during the synthesis process and found to preserve the ordered structural morphology. Curcumin was used as a model drug for loading in prepared Si-P-CNPs whereas lung cancer cells were used as a model system to study the in vitro fate. These Si-P-CNPs showed improved drug loading, drug effectivity, biodegradability and avoidance of interaction with transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) indicating the possibility of reducing the chances of lung fibrosis and thereby enhancing the safety profile over conventional porous silica particles.