Silk protein fibroin in nanoparticles form is a promising material for
drug delivery due to its pleiotropic properties, including biocompatibility, biodegradability, ease in fabrication into smaller diameters, high bioavailability, and therapeutic retention at target sites. In the present study,
silk nanoparticles are fabricated from regenerated
fibroin solution of the Chinese temperate oak tasar Antheraea pernyi by novel ion-induced self-assembly in a very short time under mild conditions. The resultant
fibroin nanoparticles range in size from 100 to 500 nm. The molecular conformation of regenerated
fibroin changes from α-helical to a β-sheet structure as a rapid function of the ionic strength and the hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. The mild conditions are potentially advantageous for the encapsulation of sensitive drugs and therapeutic molecules such as
doxorubicin hydrochloride, an amphiphilic anticancer therapeutic. In vitro release of
doxorubicin from nanoparticles is pH sensitive, with approx. 65%
doxorubicin remaining in the
fibroin nanoparticles after 11 days. The activity of
fibroin nanoparticles on
hepatomas indicates the efficacy of the
fibroin nanoparticles to maintain the bioactivity of the loaded
doxorubicin and impart a dose-dependent cell growth inhibition. The results suggest that Chinese temperate oak tasar
silk fibroin nanoparticles can be used as a sustained
drug delivery vehicle.