In Situ Synthesis of Ultrathin ZIF-8 Film-Coated MSNs for Codelivering Bcl 2 siRNA and Doxorubicin to Enhance Chemotherapeutic Efficacy in Drug-Resistant Cancer Cells

Multiple drug resistance is a persistent obstacle for efficient chemotherapy of cancer. Herein, we report a novel drug delivery platform. A zeolitic imidazole framework-8 (ZIF-8) film with a few nanometer thickness was in situ synthesized on the surface of carboxylated mesoporous silica (MSN-COOH) nano-particles (NPs) for pore blocking and efficient loading of small interfering RNAs to fabricate a pH-responsive drug delivery system. The ZIF-8 film could convert the charge of MSN-COOH from negative to positive for efficient loading of siRNA via electrostatic interactions and protect siRNA from nuclease degradation. The positively charged ZIF-8 film facilitates cellular uptake and endolysosome escape of the NPs. In addition, the ultrathin ZIF-8 film can decompose in the acidic endo-lysosome and trigger the intracellular release of siRNAs and chemotherapeutic drugs, leading to a significantly enhanced chemotherapeutic efficacy for multidrug-resistant cancer cells including MCF-7/ADR and SKOV-3/ADR cells as demonstrated by the confocal laser scanning microscopy image, cell viability assay, Annexin V&PI staining, and flow cytometry. This approach provides a promising strategy for pH-triggered, stimuli-responsive delivery of nucleic acid drugs and chemotherapeutic agents with remarkably enhanced chemotherapeutic efficacy.