† Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. A PDF containing additional figures and a table. This paper reports the synthesis of silica capped surfactant (CTAB) and dye (Rose Bengal; RB) containing mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs). Capping the pores of surfactant containing MSNs with a thin silica layer decreased the immediate surfactant originated cytotoxicity of these particles without affecting their long term (3 days) cytotoxicity. Also, silica capping process almost completely prevented the hemolytic activity of the surfactant containing MSNs. In addition, improved uptake of silica capped MSNs compared to the uncapped particles by cancer cells was demonstrated. The delayed cytotoxicity, low hemolytic activity, and better cellular uptake of silica capped MSNs make them promising for the development of safe (i. e. with fewer side effects) yet efficient theranostic agents. These nanocarriers may release the loaded cytotoxic molecules (CTAB) mostly after being 2 accumulated in the tumor site and cause minimal damage to the normal tissues and blood components. In addition, the nanoscale confinement of RB molecules inside the pores of MSNs makes the particles brightly fluorescent. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that due to the singlet oxygen generation capability of the RB dye the silica capped MSNs can be used also for photodynamic therapy of cancer. 19 and (ii) improve the cellular uptake. We believe that the preliminary results obtained in this study show the promising potential of capped surfactant containing multifunctional MSNs in biomedical applications. Future studies may include surface modification of silica capped surfactant containing MSNs with antifouling polymers and targeting agents and their in vivo verification. Experimental Section Materials Cetyltriammoniumbromide (CTAB), F127 pluronic polymer, 3-(Trihydroxysilyl) propyl methylphosphonate (TSPMP), Rose Bengal, 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), and 1,3-Diphenylisobenzofuran were purchased from Sigma Aldrich (USA). Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and Methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS)were purchased from Merck (Germany). All chemicals were used as received.
Preparation of surfactant containing MSNsMSNs were prepared by modifying previous reports. 15,[40][41][42] To synthesize rMSN, 200 mg CTAB and 10 mg of F127 were dissolved in 95 mL of water and 0.8 mL of RB solution in water (5 mg/mL) and 0.7 mL of NaOH (2 M) were added to this solution. Then the reaction mixture was heated to 80 °C while stirring vigorously (600 rpm). After temperature fixed at 80 °C, 1 mL of TEOS was rapidly added to the reaction mixture. After 15 min, 60 µL of MTMS and after 45 min, 250 µL of TSPMP was added dropwise and reaction mixture was further stirred for 90 min. Finally, particles were collected by centrifugation at 9000 rpm for 20 min and washed with water twice. To synthesize rMSN-ts, 1 mL of TEOS was added dropwise to the reaction mixture 20 min before the TSPMP addition. Other parameters were same with the rMSN synthe...