Functional silica nanoparticles conjugated with beta-glucan to deliver anti-tuberculosis drug molecules

Abstract Bacterial infections and resistance against antibiotics are on the rise despite new drug development. New developments in the field of nanomedicine are proving to be an alternative for traditional antibiotics. Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) have a promising role in emerging nanomedicine because of their low cytotoxicity and efficient drug delivery potential. In current study, we developed and analyzed silica nanoparticles of ∼50 nm in size that are capable of encapsulating small organic molecules and drugs, such as fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), doxorubicin (DOX), 4′, 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) and/or isoniazid (INH). Our drug delivery contains the anti-tuberculosis drug, INH, which is encapsulated in beta (β)-glucan-conjugated SiNPs. We focused on synthesizing and encapsulating SiNPs that have amine functional groups as well as the ability to conjugate with β-glucan molecules, making the nanocomplex both a drug carrier and a stimulus for host immune systems.