Advances in Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Targeted and Controlled Drug Delivery

Authors

https://doi.org/10.48313/bic.v2i4.49

Abstract

Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles (MSNs) have emerged as a versatile and highly tunable platform for controlled and targeted therapeutic applications. Their unique structural features including high surface area, tunable pore size, adjustable morphology, and abundant surface silanol groups enable efficient drug loading, precise surface functionalization, and stimuli-responsive release. Advances in synthesis methods, including sol-gel, soft-template, hard-template, and microemulsion approaches, allow precise control over particle size, pore architecture, and surface properties, which are critical for optimizing biological performance. Surface functionalization strategies, such as post-synthesis grafting, co-condensation, polymer coating, and ligand conjugation, enhance biocompatibility, targeting efficiency, and controlled drug release, while minimizing premature drug leakage and systemic toxicity. MSNs support diverse drug loading mechanisms, including physical adsorption, covalent attachment, and encapsulation with pore capping, enabling sustained and stimuli-responsive therapeutic release in response to pH, redox potential, enzymes, or external triggers. Targeting strategies, encompassing passive accumulation, active ligand-mediated targeting, biomimetic coatings, and organelle-specific delivery, further enhance therapeutic specificity and efficacy. Despite these advances, challenges remain in clinical translation, including long-term toxicity, immunogenicity, and large-scale reproducible synthesis. Future research is expected to focus on multifunctional, stimuli-responsive, and theragnostic MSNs that integrate combination therapies, biomimetic targeting, and real-time monitoring, thereby advancing personalized and precision medicine. This review provides a comprehensive overview of MSN structure, synthesis, functionalization, drug loading, targeting strategies, and future perspectives, highlighting their potential as next-generation nanotherapeutic platforms.

Keywords:

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles, Controlled drug delivery, Targeted therapeutics, Surface functionalization, Stimuli-responsive release, Nanomedicine

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Published

2025-10-22

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 4 (2025): Biocompounds

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Motallebi, S. . (2025). Advances in Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Targeted and Controlled Drug Delivery. Biocompounds, 2(4), 212-225. https://doi.org/10.48313/bic.v2i4.49