Smart Mesoporous Nanomaterials for Antitumor Therapy

The use of nanomaterials for the treatment of solid tumours is receiving increasing attention by the scientific community. Among them, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) exhibit unique features that make them suitable nanocarriers to host, transport and protect drug molecules until the target is...

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Main Authors: Marina Martínez-Carmona, Montserrat Colilla, Maria Vallet-Regí
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2015-11-01
Series:Nanomaterials
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/5/4/1906
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author Marina Martínez-Carmona
Montserrat Colilla
Maria Vallet-Regí
author_facet Marina Martínez-Carmona
Montserrat Colilla
Maria Vallet-Regí
author_sort Marina Martínez-Carmona
collection DOAJ
description The use of nanomaterials for the treatment of solid tumours is receiving increasing attention by the scientific community. Among them, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) exhibit unique features that make them suitable nanocarriers to host, transport and protect drug molecules until the target is reached. It is possible to incorporate different targeting ligands to the outermost surface of MSNs to selectively drive the drugs to the tumour tissues. To prevent the premature release of the cargo entrapped in the mesopores, it is feasible to cap the pore entrances using stimuli-responsive nanogates. Therefore, upon exposure to internal (pH, enzymes, glutathione, etc.) or external (temperature, light, magnetic field, etc.) stimuli, the pore opening takes place and the release of the entrapped cargo occurs. These smart MSNs are capable of selectively reaching and accumulating at the target tissue and releasing the entrapped drug in a specific and controlled fashion, constituting a promising alternative to conventional chemotherapy, which is typically associated with undesired side effects. In this review, we overview the recent advances reported by the scientific community in developing MSNs for antitumor therapy. We highlight the possibility to design multifunctional nanosystems using different therapeutic approaches aimed at increasing the efficacy of the antitumor treatment.
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spelling doaj.art-3a539b418b074418923525e2a4e562752022-12-22T02:43:34ZengMDPI AGNanomaterials2079-49912015-11-01541906193710.3390/nano5041906nano5041906Smart Mesoporous Nanomaterials for Antitumor TherapyMarina Martínez-Carmona0Montserrat Colilla1Maria Vallet-Regí2Department of Inorganic and Bioinorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, Sanitary Research Institute “Hospital 12 de Octubre” i+12, Ramón y Cajal Square, S/N, Madrid 28040, SpainDepartment of Inorganic and Bioinorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, Sanitary Research Institute “Hospital 12 de Octubre” i+12, Ramón y Cajal Square, S/N, Madrid 28040, SpainDepartment of Inorganic and Bioinorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, Sanitary Research Institute “Hospital 12 de Octubre” i+12, Ramón y Cajal Square, S/N, Madrid 28040, SpainThe use of nanomaterials for the treatment of solid tumours is receiving increasing attention by the scientific community. Among them, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) exhibit unique features that make them suitable nanocarriers to host, transport and protect drug molecules until the target is reached. It is possible to incorporate different targeting ligands to the outermost surface of MSNs to selectively drive the drugs to the tumour tissues. To prevent the premature release of the cargo entrapped in the mesopores, it is feasible to cap the pore entrances using stimuli-responsive nanogates. Therefore, upon exposure to internal (pH, enzymes, glutathione, etc.) or external (temperature, light, magnetic field, etc.) stimuli, the pore opening takes place and the release of the entrapped cargo occurs. These smart MSNs are capable of selectively reaching and accumulating at the target tissue and releasing the entrapped drug in a specific and controlled fashion, constituting a promising alternative to conventional chemotherapy, which is typically associated with undesired side effects. In this review, we overview the recent advances reported by the scientific community in developing MSNs for antitumor therapy. We highlight the possibility to design multifunctional nanosystems using different therapeutic approaches aimed at increasing the efficacy of the antitumor treatment.http://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/5/4/1906mesoporous silica nanoparticlescancer treatmentpassive targetingactive targetingstimuli-responsive drug delivery
spellingShingle Marina Martínez-Carmona
Montserrat Colilla
Maria Vallet-Regí
Smart Mesoporous Nanomaterials for Antitumor Therapy
Nanomaterials
mesoporous silica nanoparticles
cancer treatment
passive targeting
active targeting
stimuli-responsive drug delivery
title Smart Mesoporous Nanomaterials for Antitumor Therapy
title_full Smart Mesoporous Nanomaterials for Antitumor Therapy
title_fullStr Smart Mesoporous Nanomaterials for Antitumor Therapy
title_full_unstemmed Smart Mesoporous Nanomaterials for Antitumor Therapy
title_short Smart Mesoporous Nanomaterials for Antitumor Therapy
title_sort smart mesoporous nanomaterials for antitumor therapy
topic mesoporous silica nanoparticles
cancer treatment
passive targeting
active targeting
stimuli-responsive drug delivery
url http://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/5/4/1906
work_keys_str_mv AT marinamartinezcarmona smartmesoporousnanomaterialsforantitumortherapy
AT montserratcolilla smartmesoporousnanomaterialsforantitumortherapy
AT mariavalletregi smartmesoporousnanomaterialsforantitumortherapy