Fabrication and Characterisation of gemcitabine hydrochloride loaded magnetically responsive mesoporous silica nanocomposites as smart hybrid theranostic platform for treatment of pancreatic cancer

The research aims at the fabrication and characterisation of magnetically responsive mesoporous silica nanocomposites (MSNs), which can play therapeutic and diagnostic (theranostic) roles simultaneously. The ultimate goal was to create a smart hybrid stimuli-responsive nano cargo that can be used for diagnostic purposes and the therapeutic action of which can be controlled. Magnetic nanoparticles were synthesised by the green synthesis, and mesoporous silica nanoparticles were obtained using the sol–gel method. The nanoparticles were further functionalised using (3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane). Physicochemical characterisation of the drug-loaded MSNs was performed using sophisticated analytical techniques such as infrared spectroscopy, particle size analysis, transmission electron microscopy, drug uptake studies, fluorescence microscopy and BET analysis. The particle size of SBA-15 was found to be 98 nm. The surface area of SBA-15 was 459.79 m2/gm. The drug-loaded SBA-15 showed a 49.3% drug release within 10 h in phosphate buffer of pH 7.4.