Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle Nanocarriers: Biofunctionality and Biocompatibility

The study of ordered mesoporous silica materials has exploded since their discovery by Mobil researchers 20 years ago. The ability to make uniformly sized, porous, and dispersible nanoparticles using colloidal chemistry and evaporation-induced self-assembly has led to many applications of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) as “nanocarriers” for delivery of drugs and other cargos to cells. The exceptionally high surface area of MSNPs, often exceeding 1000 m2/g, and the ability to independently modify pore size and surface chemistry, enables the loading of diverse cargos and cargo combinations at levels exceeding those of other common drug delivery carriers such as liposomes or polymer conjugates. This is because noncovalent electrostatic, hydrogen-bonding, and van der Waals interactions of the cargo with the MSNP internal surface cause preferential adsorption of cargo to the MSNP, allowing loading capacities to surpass the solubility limit of a solution or that achievable by osmotic gradient loading. ...