An ionic liquid-modified nano-vehicle to construct nano-models of catalase to target mitochondria

Abstract

A new functional ionic liquid (IL) (IL = 4-acetyl-N-propenylpyridinium hexafluorophosphate) and methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-modified central hollow nano-vehicle (SiO₂@IL–PEG) was synthesized and assembled with Mn(II) complexes, leading to two new kinds of nano-mimics of catalase. In vitro assay results show that the synthesized nano-mimics of catalase can decrease the oxygen consumption and mitochondria potential, which leads to effective inhibition of the proliferation of HepG-2 cells. Taken together, this study demonstrates that the ionic liquid and PEG-modified nano-vehicle is a good carrier of nano-models of catalase to target mitochondria, which would give a new path to develop mediators of cancer progression and the metabolite of oxygen.