Enantioselective Oral Absorption of Molecular Chiral Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles

Inspired by the unique pharmacological effects of chiral drugs in the asymmetrical body environments, it is assumed that the chirality of nanocarriers is also a key factor to determine their oral adsorption efficiency, apart from their size, shape, etc. Herein, l/d-tartaric acid modified mesoporous silica nanoparticles (l/d-CMSNs) are fabricated via a one-pot cocondensation method, and focused on whether the oral adsorption of nanocarriers will be benefited from their chirality. It is found that l-CMSN performed better in the sequential oral absorption processes, including mucus permeation, mucosa bio-adhesion, cellular uptake, intestinal transport and gastrointestinal tract (GIT) retention, than those of the d-chiral (d-CMSN), racemic (dl-CMSN), and achiral (MSN) counterparts. The multiple chiral recognition mechanisms are experimentally and theoretically demonstrated following simple differential adsorption on biointerfaces, wherein electrostatic interaction is the dominant energy. During the oral delivery task, l-CMSN, which is proven to be stable, nonirritative, biocompatible, and biodegradable, is efficiently absorbed into the blood (1.72-2.05-fold higher than other nanocarriers), and helps the loaded doxorubicin (DOX) to achieve better intestinal transport (2.32-27.03-times higher than other samples), satisfactory bioavailability (449.73%) and stronger antitumor effect (up to 95.43%). These findings validated the dominant role of chirality in determining the biological fate of nanocarriers. l-tartaric acid modified mesoporous silica nanoparticles (l-CMSNs) performs better in the sequential oral absorption processes than those of the d-chiral (d-CMSN), racemic (Dl-CMSN), and achiral (MSN) counterparts via multiple chiral recognition mechanisms, and ultimately undertaking the responsibility of efficient oral drug delivery. These findings validate the dominant role of chirality in determining the biological fate of nanocarriers.image

Automated summary

This study demonstrates the importance of chirality in the oral adsorption efficiency of nanocarriers. The l-CMSNs, modified with l-tartaric acid, outperformed other chiral and achiral counterparts in sequential processes including mucus permeation, mucosa bio-adhesion, cellular uptake, intestinal transport, and gastrointestinal tract retention. Furthermore, l-CMSN showed stable absorption into the blood, improved intestinal transport for the loaded drug, and enhanced bioavailability and antitumor effect.