writer：Chengyuan Xu#, Yunfeng Yan#, Jinchao Tan, Dahai Yang, Xianjing Jia, Lu Wang, Yisheng Xu,* Song Cao,*
keywords：amorphous calcium carbonate, biodegradation, drug delivery, pH-responsive, tumor inhibition
source：期刊
specific source：Advanced Functional Materials
Issue time：2019年

Inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) are promising drug delivery carriers owing to

their high drug loading effciency, scalable preparation, facile functionalization, and chemical/thermal stability. However, the clinical translation of

inorganic nanocarriers is often hindered by their poor biodegradability and

lack of controlled pH response. Herein, a fully degradable and pH-responsive

DOX@ACC/PAA NP (pH 7.4–5.6) is developed by encapsulating doxorubicin

(DOX) in poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) stabilized amorphous calcium carbonate

(ACC) NPs. The DOX-loaded NPs have small sizes (62 ± 10 nm), good serum

stability, high drug encapsulation effciency (>80%), and loading capacity

(>9%). By doping proper amounts of Sr2+ or Mg2+, the drug release of NPs

can be further modulated to higher pH responsive ranges (pH 7.7–6.0), which

enables drug delivery to the specifc cell domains of tissues with a less acidic

microenvironment. Tumor inhibition and lower drug acute toxicity are further

confrmed via intracellular uptake tests and zebrafsh models, and the particles

also improve pharmacokinetics and drug accumulation in mouse xenograft

tumors, leading to enhanced suppression of tumor growth. Owing to the excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and tunable drug release behavior, the

present hybrid nanocarrier may fnd broad applications in tumor therapy.