Construction of Boronophenylalanine-Loaded Biodegradable Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica Nanoparticles for BNCT Cancer Therapy

Biodegradable periodic mesoporous organosilica (BPMO) has recently emerged as a promising type of mesoporous silica-based nanoparticle for biomedical applications. Like mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN), BPMO possesses a large surface area where various compounds can be attached. In this work, we attached boronophenylalanine ((10)BPA) to the surface and explored the potential of this nanomaterial for delivering boron-10 for use in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). This cancer therapy is based on the principle that the exposure of boron-10 to thermal neutron results in the release of α-particles that kill cancer cells. To attach (10)BPA, the surface of BPMO was modified with diol groups which facilitated the efficient binding of (10)BPA, yielding (10)BPA-loaded BPMO ((10)BPA-BPMO). Surface modification with phosphonate was also carried out to increase the dispersibility of the nanoparticles. To investigate this nanomaterial’s potential for BNCT, we first used human cancer cells and found that (10)BPA-BPMO nanoparticles were efficiently taken up into the cancer cells and were localized in perinuclear regions. We then used a chicken egg tumor model, a versatile and convenient tumor model used to characterize nanomaterials. After observing significant tumor accumulation, (10)BPA-BPMO injected chicken eggs were evaluated by irradiating with neutron beams. Dramatic inhibition of the tumor growth was observed. These results suggest the potential of (10)BPA-BPMO as a novel boron agent for BNCT.