Fig. 9

Schematic illustration of nanocarriers preparation. The surface charge of SPION@MSN core–shell nanocarrier was modified followed by the addition of APTES. In the next step, DOX was encapsulated in the open channels of MSNs and gold gatekeepers were used to control the release of DOX. Heterofunctional PEG (SH–PEG–COOH) and EpCAM aptamer were applied to prepare non-targeted and targeted nanocarriers, respectively. SPION Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle, MSN Mesoporous silica nanoparticle, APTES (3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane, NP Nanoparticle, PEG Polyethylene glycol, EpCAM Epithelial cell adhesion molecule, Apt Aptamer