Mesoporous silica nanoparticle-supported nanocarriers with enhanced drug loading, encapsulation stability, and targeting efficiency

Biomater Sci. 2022 Mar 15;10(6):1448-1455. doi: 10.1039/d2bm00010e.

Abstract

For efficient drug delivery, stable encapsulation of a large amount of anticancer drugs is crucial, not to mention cell-specific delivery. Among many possible nanocarriers, mesoporous silica nanoparticles are versatile frameworks that satisfy those requirements owing to their characteristic internal pores with a large surface area and a tunable surface composition. By using a noncovalent post-modification strategy, MSN-based drug delivery systems with enhanced therapeutic efficiency can be prepared in a simple one-pot process by loading small anticancer drugs in the unmodified mesopores and by subsequently blocking the drug-loaded pores with a stimuli-responsive polymer gatekeeper. For targeted delivery, drug-loaded MSNs can be functionalized with suitable targeting components such as targeting ligands or artificial protein corona. This mini-review highlights the recent research in which MSN-supported nanocarriers are designed, synthesized, and characterized to possess a high drug loading capacity and encapsulation stability along with targeting capability for more efficient cancer treatment.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Drug Carriers
  • Drug Delivery Systems
  • Nanoparticles*
  • Pharmaceutical Preparations
  • Porosity
  • Silicon Dioxide*

Substances

  • Drug Carriers
  • Pharmaceutical Preparations
  • Silicon Dioxide