Sustained release of alpha‐methylacyl‐CoA racemase (AMACR) antibody‐conjugated and free doxorubicin from silica nanoparticles for prostate cancer cell growth inhibition

Abstract This article presents silica nanoparticles for the sustained release of AMACR antibody‐conjugated and free doxorubicin (DOX) for the inhibition of prostate cancer cell growth. Inorganic MCM‐41 silica nanoparticles were synthesized, functionalized with phenylboronic acid groups (MCM‐B), and capped with dextran (MCM‐B‐D). The nanoparticles were then characterized using Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, zeta potential analysis, nitrogen sorption, X‐ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis, before exploring their potential for drug loading and controlled drug release. This was done using a model prostate cancer drug, DOX, and a targeted prostate cancer drug, α‐Methyl Acyl‐CoA racemase (AMACR) antibody‐conjugated DOX, which attaches specifically to AMACR proteins that are overexpressed on the surfaces of prostate cancer cells. The kinetics of sustained drug release over 30 days was then studied using zeroth order, first order, second order, Higuchi, and the Korsmeyer–Peppas models, while the thermodynamics of drug release was elucidated by determining the entropy and enthalpy changes. The flux of the released DOX was also simulated using the COMSOL Multiphysics software package. Generally, the AMACR antibody‐conjugated DOX drug‐loaded nanoparticles were more effective than the free DOX drug‐loaded formulations in inhibiting the growth of prostate cancer cells in vitro over a 96 h period. The implications of the results are then discussed for the development of drug‐eluting structures for the localized and targeted treatment of prostate cancer.