Biohybrids (a combination of biological material and inorganic nanoparticles) offer a number of advantages like improved functionality over conventional materials.Thus, to understand the practical application of biohybrids as drug carriers, a biohybrid drug carrier of colloidal silica nanoparticles (NP)-sodium alginate loaded with doxorubicin (Dox-biohybrid) was synthesized by evaporation induced self-assembly (EISA) using spray drying technique. Further, the morphology, size and interactions between various components of the biohybrid were studied through SEM, DLS and FTIR techniques. The drug loading efficiency, release profile, cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of Dox-biohybrid was investigated and compared with free Dox. The drug loading efficiencies of Dox-biohybrid, Dox-silica NP and Dox-sodium alginate were 93.7 %, 96.4 % and 88.3 % respectively. In vitro release study showed a slow release of entrapped Dox from Dox-biohybrid as compared to other carriers. This release was also pH-responsive with significantly higher cumulative drug release at pH 5.5 (cancer microenvironment) in comparison to pH 7.4 (physiological conditions). The empty biohybrid carrier did not show cytotoxicity to normal mouse lymphocytes upto a concentration of 25 μg/mL which was used further. The uptake of Dox from Dox-biohybrid by A549 cells was more than 2fold as compared to uptake from free Dox. in vitro viability assay revealed that treatment of lung carcinoma A549 cells with Dox-biohybrid resulted in 50 % loss of cell viability at 500 nM, compared to only 12 % loss with free Dox. Thus, we report the synthesis of a novel biohybrid drug delivery system by means of spray drying process that has promising applications in cancer treatment.
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