Functionalized β -Cyclodextrin Immobilized on Ag-Embedded Silica Nanoparticles as a Drug Carrier

Cyclodextrins (CDs) have beneficial characteristics for drug delivery, including hydrophobic interior surfaces. Nanocarriers with -CD ligands have been prepared with simple surface modifications as drug delivery vehicles. In this study, we synthesized -CD derivatives on an Ag-embedded silica nanoparticle (NP) (SiO₂@Ag NP) structure to load and release doxorubicin (DOX). Cysteinyl- -CD and ethylenediamine- -CD (EDA- -CD) were immobilized on the surface of SiO₂@Ag NPs, as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. DOX was introduced into the -CD on the SiO₂@Ag NPs and then successfully released. Neither cysteinyl- -CD and EDA- -CD showed cytotoxicity, while DOX-loaded cysteinyl- -CD and EDA- -CD showed a significant decrease in cell viability in cancer cells. The SiO₂@Ag NPs with -CD provide a strategy for designing a nanocarrier that can deliver a drug with controlled release from modified chemical types.