pH-Responsive Nutraceutical-Mesoporous Silica Nanoconjugates with Enhanced Colloidal Stability

摘要

Among recent discoveries in the area of nanomaterials, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have emerged as one of the most promising carriers for controlled and targeted drug delivery.The application prospect of MSNs in nano-medicine arises from their outstanding porosity features, facile synthesis, tuneable pore and particle size, versatile inner and outer surface chemistry, and capacity to load and unload various cargos ranging from relatively small molecules, e.g., ibuprofen, to very large ones, e.g., siRNA. Additionally, the high in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility of MSN-based systems and the possibility of precise control over adsorption and release kinetics, have positioned them as leading candidates for next generation therapeutic carriers. Nevertheless, the key challenge remains to simultaneously achieve precise targeting and higher colloidal stability, especially in physiological media. To reach these objectives, several delivery systems have recently been proposed on the basis of various stimuli, that is, pH, light, temperature,chemical reactions, enzymes, and so forth. Amongst these, targeted release based on pH variations has received the greatest attention. For instance, in the case of cancer therapy, the pH difference between normal cells and cancer cells can be used for targeting tumor cells.