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Development of mesoporous silica nanomaterials as a vehicle for anticancer drug delivery

Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, California NanoSystems Institute, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA

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Fuyuhiko Tamanoi

* Author for correspondence

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Email the corresponding author at fuyut@microbio.ucla.edu

Published Online:7 Mar 2012https://doi.org/10.4155/tde.12.9

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Abstract

The development of delivery vehicles that would carry therapeutic agents selectively to cancer cells has become an important focus in biomedical research. Nanoparticles have received much attention because the advances made in this field have resulted in multiple biocompatible materials. In particular, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) offer a solid framework with porous structure and high surface area that allows for the attachment of different functional groups. In this article we discuss the different surface modifications made to MSNs that have allowed for the construction of targeted nanoparticles to enhance accumulation and uptake in target sites, the incorporation of nanomachines for controlled cargo release and the combination with superparamagnetic metals for MRI cell labeling. We also discuss biocompatibility, biodistribution and drug-delivery efficacy of MSNs. Finally, we mention the construction of multifunctional nanoparticles that combine all of the previously examined nanoparticle modifications.

Papers of special note have been highlighted as: ▪ of interest ▪▪ of considerable interest

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Published online 7 March 2012

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank J Lu for discussion, and J Zink and F Stoddart for their continuous collaboration.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was supported by the NIH grant CA133697. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

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