Chitosan-glucuronic acid conjugate coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles: A smart pH-responsive and receptor-targeted system for colorectal cancer therapy

Glycosylated pH-sensitive mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) of capecitabine (CAP) were developed for targeting colorectal cancer. The MSNs possessed an average pore diameter of 8.12 ± 0.43 nm, pore volume of 0.73 ± 0.21 cm³/g, and particle size of 245.24 ± 5.75 nm. A high loading of 180.51 ± 5.23 mg/g attributed to the larger pore volume was observed. The surface of the drug-loaded MSNs were capped with chitosan-glucuronic acid (CHS-GCA) conjugate to combine two strategies viz. pH-sensitive, and lectin receptor mediated uptake. In vitro studies demonstrated a pH-sensitive and controlled release of CAP which was further enhanced in the presence of rat caecal content. Higher uptake of the (CAP-MSN)CHS-GCA was observed in HCT 116 cell lines. The glycosylated nanoparticles revealed reduction in the tumors, aberrant crypt foci, dysplasia and inflammation, and alleviation in the toxic features. This illustrated that the nanoparticles showed promising antitumor efficacy with reduced toxicity and may be used as a effective carrier against cancer.