Activation of snap-top capped mesoporous silica nanocontainers using two near-infrared photons.

ABSTRACT: Photoactivation of "snap-top" stoppers over the pore openings of mesoporous silica nanoparticles releases intact cargo molecules from the pores. The on-command release can be stimulated by either one UV photon or two coherent near-IR photons. Two-photon activation is particularly desirable for use in biological systems because it enables good tissue penetration and precise spatial control. Stoppers were assembled by first binding photolabile coumarin-based molecules to the nanoparticle surface. Then, after the particles were loaded with cargo, bulky β-cyclodextrin (CD) molecules were noncovalently associated with the substituted coumarin molecule, blocking the pores and preventing the cargo from escaping. One-photon excitation at 376 nm or two-photon excitation at 800 nm cleaves the bond h

SUBMITTER: Guardado-Alvarez TM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3862188 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature