Spatio-temporal in vivo distribution of core-shell mesoporous silica nanoparticles by label-free X-ray fluorescence imaging
6 affiliations
- 1Institut de Ciència dels Materials (ICMUV), Universitat de València, Catedrático José Beltrán 2, Valencia, Paterna 46980, Spain; KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Department of Applied Physics, Stockholm, SE106 91, Sweden
- 2KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Department of Applied Physics, Stockholm, SE106 91, Sweden; Instituto de Tecnología Química, Universitat Politècnica València-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Av. dels Tarongers, València, 46022, Spain
- 3KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Department of Applied Physics, Stockholm, SE106 91, Sweden
- 4Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, Valencia, 46022, Spain
- 5Institut de Ciència dels Materials (ICMUV), Universitat de València, Catedrático José Beltrán 2, Valencia, Paterna 46980, Spain
- 6KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Department of Applied Physics, Stockholm, SE106 91, Sweden; Corresponding authors.
Abstract
Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have emerged as versatile drug delivery systems with promising applications in diagnostics and therapy. However, structural heterogeneity among MSNs and limited spatio-temporal tracking capabilities have resulted in inconsistent in vivo data, hindering the establishment of reliable pharmacokinetics, metabolism, and structure–activity relationships (SAR). Here, we report the design, synthesis, and interface engineering of a multilayered MSN (MoMSN) theranostic platform comprising a molybdenum (IV) oxide (MoO₂) core for intrinsic, label-free in vivo tracking via X-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging, a fluorophore-doped silica layer for tissue-level visualization, and a mesoporous silica shell for potential drug delivery. Following comprehensive physicochemical characterization and in vitro safety assessment, the nanoparticles were intravenously administered to mice for multimodal imaging and biodistribution analysis. Whole-body XRF imaging revealed that MoMSNs exhibited rapid systemic turnover, with transient accumulation in the lungs followed by minimal retention in the liver and spleen. Immunofluorescence analysis confirmed confinement within major blood vessels and decreased macrophage uptake in the liver and spleen. Surface PEGylation further reduced organ retention as well as macrophage uptake. These findings demonstrate that surface chemistry strongly influences the in vivo fate of MSNs and that PEGylation promotes rapid clearance while minimizing uptake by the mononuclear phagocyte system. Importantly, this work establishes MoMSNs as an intrinsically traceable nanoplatform for quantitative whole-body tracking without external radiolabels, enabling more reliable evaluation of nanoparticle biodistribution and structure–activity relationships.
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BibTeX
@article{garrido2026spatiotemporal,
title = {{Spatio-temporal in vivo distribution of core-shell mesoporous silica nanoparticles by label-free X-ray fluorescence imaging}},
author = {M. Dolores Garrido and José F. Serrano-Claumarchirant and Karolina Söderberg and Kian Shaker and M. Dolores Marcos and Pedro Amorós and Hans M. Hertz and Muhammet S. Toprak and Bertha A. Brodin},
journal = {Applied Surface Science Advances},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.apsadv.2026.101058},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsadv.2026.101058},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Spatio-temporal in vivo distribution of core-shell mesoporous silica nanoparticles by label-free X-ray fluorescence imaging
AU - M. Dolores Garrido
AU - José F. Serrano-Claumarchirant
AU - Karolina Söderberg
AU - Kian Shaker
AU - M. Dolores Marcos
AU - Pedro Amorós
AU - Hans M. Hertz
AU - Muhammet S. Toprak
AU - Bertha A. Brodin
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/24
JO - Applied Surface Science Advances
DO - 10.1016/j.apsadv.2026.101058
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsadv.2026.101058
AB - Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have emerged as versatile drug delivery systems with promising applications in diagnostics and therapy. However, structural heterogeneity among MSNs and limited spatio-temporal tracking capabilities have resulted in inconsistent in vivo data, hindering the establishment of reliable pharmacokinetics, metabolism, and structure–activity relationships (SAR). Here, we report the design, synthesis, and interface engineering of a multilayered MSN (MoMSN) theranostic platform comprising a molybdenum (IV) oxide (MoO₂) core for intrinsic, label-free in vivo tracking via X-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging, a fluorophore-doped silica layer for tissue-level visualization, and a mesoporous silica shell for potential drug delivery. Following comprehensive physicochemical characterization and in vitro safety assessment, the nanoparticles were intravenously administered to mice for multimodal imaging and biodistribution analysis. Whole-body XRF imaging revealed that MoMSNs exhibited rapid systemic turnover, with transient accumulation in the lungs followed by minimal retention in the liver and spleen. Immunofluorescence analysis confirmed confinement within major blood vessels and decreased macrophage uptake in the liver and spleen. Surface PEGylation further reduced organ retention as well as macrophage uptake. These findings demonstrate that surface chemistry strongly influences the in vivo fate of MSNs and that PEGylation promotes rapid clearance while minimizing uptake by the mononuclear phagocyte system. Importantly, this work establishes MoMSNs as an intrinsically traceable nanoplatform for quantitative whole-body tracking without external radiolabels, enabling more reliable evaluation of nanoparticle biodistribution and structure–activity relationships.
SN - 2666-5239
ER -