Engineered Stealth Porous Silicon Nanoparticles via Surface Encapsulation of Bovine Serum Albumin for Prolonging Blood Circulation in Vivo

Luminescent porous silicon nanoparticles (PSiNPs) have been widely used as drug delivery. However, fast biodegradation and short blood circulation have been major challenges for their biomedical applications. Herein, bovine serum albumin was readily encapsulated onto alkyl-terminated PSiNPs surfaces via hydrophobic interaction, which could significantly improve their water-dispersibility and long-term stability under physiological conditions. Furthermore, compared with PSiNPs alone, PSiNPs coated with bovine serum albumin remarkably reduced nonspecific cellular uptake in vitro and prolonged blood circulation in vivo.