Bioresponsive controlled release using mesoporous silica nanoparticles capped with aptamer-based molecular gate.

This communication describes the design of a novel and general bioresponsive controlled-release mesoporous silica (MS) nanoparticles system based on aptamer-target interactions. In this system, the pores of MS were capped with Au nanoparticles modified with aptamer (ATP aptamer in this case). By a competitive displacement reaction, the Au nanoparticles were uncapped in the presence of ATP molecule, and the cargo was released. Our results demonstrated that the aptamer-target interaction may be a promising route for the design of custom-made controlled-release nanodevices specifically governed by target biomolecules. Since aptamers have been obtained for a broad range of targets, including several cancer biomarkers, we believe that this aptamer-based controlled-release system should have an equally broad spectrum of applications.