Silica Nanoparticles as Safety Nanocarriers

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Biology and Medicines".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 11139

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
INSTITUTO DE RECONOCIMIENTO MOLECULAR Y DESARROLLO TECNOLOGICO (IDM)
Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Camí de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Interests: nanotechnology; mesoporous silica particles; biomolecules; natural bioactive molecules; controlled release; drug delivery; antimicrobial agents; nanomedicine; food sciences
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of the journal Nanomaterials entitled “Silica Nanoparticles as Safety Nanocarriers" will cover a selection of recent research and review articles in the field of silica nanomaterials as safety nanocarriers for several applications.

Nanomaterials offer great opportunities to develop silica nanoparticles or devices for safety nanocarriers in different applications, such as health, medicine, food, agriculture and crop production, energy and environment applications (in air, water and/or soil) and industry, among others.

Various silica nanomaterials have been extensively explored in developing safety nanocarriers with high sensitivity, selectivity and simplicity.

The use of materials at the nanodimension scale provides several improvements in terms of analytical features, including sensitivity, rapidity of response, selectivity, and robustness, demonstrating the huge advantage of using the nanomaterials over the nanomaterials in the development of smart and high-performant analytical tools.

The research on the design and development of new silica nanoparticles as safety nanocarriers and the applications bring together stakeholders from different disciplines. The readers of this Special Issue will gain an appreciation of the real role of silica nanoparticles as safety nanocarriers.

Dr. Andrea Bernardos
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • nanoparticles
  • silica
  • controlled release
  • safety
  • nanocarriers

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 6603 KiB  
Article
Gated Organonanoclays for Large Biomolecules: Controlled Release Triggered by Surfactant Stimulus
by Elisa Poyatos-Racionero, Édgar Pérez-Esteve, Serena Medaglia, Elena Aznar, José M. Barat, Ramón Martínez-Máñez, Maria Dolores Marcos and Andrea Bernardos
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(15), 2694; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12152694 - 05 Aug 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1371
Abstract
The low toxicity and high adsorption capacities of clay minerals make them attractive for controlled delivery applications. However, the number of controlled-release studies in the literature using clay minerals is still scarce. In this work, three different clays from the smectite group (Kunipia [...] Read more.
The low toxicity and high adsorption capacities of clay minerals make them attractive for controlled delivery applications. However, the number of controlled-release studies in the literature using clay minerals is still scarce. In this work, three different clays from the smectite group (Kunipia F, montmorillonite; Sumecton SA, saponite; and Sumecton SWN, hectorite) were successfully loaded with rhodamine B dye and functionalized with oleic acid as a gatekeeper to produce organonanoclays for active and controlled payload-release. Moreover, hematin and cyanocobalamin have also been encapsulated in hectorite gated clay. These organonanoclays were able to confine the entrapped cargos in an aqueous environment, and effectively release them in the presence of surfactants (as bile salts). A controlled delivery of 49 ± 6 μg hematin/mg solid and 32.7 ± 1.5 μg cyanocobalamin/mg solid was reached. The cargo release profiles of all of the organonanoclays were adjusted to three different release-kinetic models, demonstrating the Korsmeyer–Peppas model with release dependence on (i) the organic–inorganic hybrid system, and (ii) the nature of loaded molecules and their interaction with the support. Furthermore, in vitro cell viability assays were carried out with Caco-2 cells, demonstrating that the organonanoclays are well tolerated by cells at particle concentrations of ca. 50 μg/mL. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Silica Nanoparticles as Safety Nanocarriers)
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13 pages, 4544 KiB  
Article
Construction of a Nano-Controlled Release Methotrexate Delivery System for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis by Local Percutaneous Administration
by Tingting Guo, Xu Kang, Sifan Ren, Xianjin Ouyang and Mingming Chang
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(11), 2812; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11112812 - 23 Oct 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2384
Abstract
A drug delivery system was specifically designed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by local percutaneous administration and the nano-controlled release of methotrexate (MTX). The release behavior of MTX from the synthesized MTX-mSiO2@PDA system was investigated in vitro and in [...] Read more.
A drug delivery system was specifically designed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by local percutaneous administration and the nano-controlled release of methotrexate (MTX). The release behavior of MTX from the synthesized MTX-mSiO2@PDA system was investigated in vitro and in vivo. The obtained results show that after 48 h, twice as much MTX (cumulative amount) is released at pH 5.5 than at pH 7.4. This suggests that the MTX-mSiO2@PDA system exhibits a good pH sensitivity. In vitro local percutaneous administration experiments revealed that the cumulative amount of MTX transferred from MTX-mSiO2@PDA to pH 5.0 receptor fluid through the whole skin was approximately three times greater than the amount transferred to pH 7.4 receptor fluid after 24 h. Moreover, in vivo experiments conducted on a complete induced arthritis (CIA) model in DBA/1 mice demonstrated that the thickness of a mouse’s toes decreases to nearly 65% of the initial level after 27 days of local percutaneous MTX-mSiO2@PDA administration. Compared to the mice directly injected with MTX, those administered with MTX-mSiO2@PDA by local percutaneous application exhibit much lower toe thickness deviation, which indicates that the latter group experiences a better cure stability. Overall, these results demonstrate that the local percutaneous administration of MTX delivery systems characterized by nano-controlled release may play an important role in RA therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Silica Nanoparticles as Safety Nanocarriers)
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15 pages, 5683 KiB  
Article
Cytostatic and Cytotoxic Effects of Hollow-Shell Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Containing Magnetic Iron Oxide
by Manuel Pérez-Garnes, Victoria Morales, Raul Sanz and Rafael A. García-Muñoz
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(9), 2455; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11092455 - 21 Sep 2021
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2681
Abstract
Among the different types of nanoparticles used in biomedical applications, Fe nanoparticles and mesoporous siliceous materials have been extensively investigated because of their possible theranostic applications. Here, we present hollow-shell mesoporous silica nanoparticles that encapsulate iron oxide and that are prepared using a [...] Read more.
Among the different types of nanoparticles used in biomedical applications, Fe nanoparticles and mesoporous siliceous materials have been extensively investigated because of their possible theranostic applications. Here, we present hollow-shell mesoporous silica nanoparticles that encapsulate iron oxide and that are prepared using a drug-structure-directing agent concept (DSDA), composed of the model drug tryptophan modified by carbon aliphatic hydrocarbon chains. The modified tryptophan can behave as an organic template that allows directing the hollow-shell mesoporous silica framework, as a result of its micellisation and subsequent assembly of the silica around it. The one-pot synthesis procedure facilitates the incorporation of hydrophobically stabilised iron oxide nanoparticles into the hollow internal silica cavities, with the model drug tryptophan in the shell pores, thus enabling the incorporation of different functionalities into the all-in-one nanoparticles named mesoporous silica nanoparticles containing magnetic iron oxide (Fe3O4@MSNs). Additionally, the drug loading capability and the release of tryptophan from the silica nanoparticles were examined, as well as the cytostaticity and cytotoxicity of the Fe3O4@MSNs in different colon cancer cell lines. The results indicate that Fe3O4@MSNs have great potential for drug loading and drug delivery into specific target cells, thereby overcoming the limitations associated with conventional drug formulations, which are unable to selectively reach the sites of interest. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Silica Nanoparticles as Safety Nanocarriers)
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14 pages, 2212 KiB  
Article
Secreted Enzyme-Responsive System for Controlled Antifungal Agent Release
by Andrea Bernardos, Matěj Božik, Ana Montero, Édgar Pérez-Esteve, Esther García-Casado, Miloslav Lhotka, Adéla Fraňková, María Dolores Marcos, José Manuel Barat, Ramón Martínez-Máñez and Pavel Klouček
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(5), 1280; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11051280 - 13 May 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2588
Abstract
Essential oil components (EOCs) such as eugenol play a significant role in plant antimicrobial defense. Due to the volatility and general reactivity of these molecules, plants have evolved smart systems for their storage and release, which are key prerequisites for their efficient use. [...] Read more.
Essential oil components (EOCs) such as eugenol play a significant role in plant antimicrobial defense. Due to the volatility and general reactivity of these molecules, plants have evolved smart systems for their storage and release, which are key prerequisites for their efficient use. In this study, biomimetic systems for the controlled release of eugenol, inspired by natural plant defense mechanisms, were prepared and their antifungal activity is described. Delivery and antifungal studies of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) loaded with eugenol and capped with different saccharide gates—starch, maltodextrin, maltose and glucose—against fungus Aspergillus niger—were performed. The maltodextrin- and maltose-capped systems show very low eugenol release in the absence of the fungus Aspergillus niger but high cargo delivery in its presence. The anchored saccharides are degraded by exogenous enzymes, resulting in eugenol release and efficient inhibition of fungal growth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Silica Nanoparticles as Safety Nanocarriers)
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Review

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16 pages, 2212 KiB  
Review
Curcumin-Loaded Silica Nanoparticles: Applications in Infectious Disease and Food Industry
by Solmaz Maleki Dizaj, Simin Sharifi, Fatemeh Tavakoli, Yaseen Hussain, Haleh Forouhandeh, Seyed Mahdi Hosseiniyan Khatibi, Mohammad Yousef Memar, Mina Yekani, Haroon Khan, Khang Wen Goh and Long Chiau Ming
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(16), 2848; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12162848 - 18 Aug 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3126
Abstract
Curcumin has multiple properties that are used to cure different diseases such as cancer, infections, inflammatory, arthritic disease, etc. Despite having many effects, the inherent physicochemical properties—such as poor water solubility, chemical instability, low bioavailability, photodegradation, fast metabolism, and short half-life—of curcumin’s derivatives [...] Read more.
Curcumin has multiple properties that are used to cure different diseases such as cancer, infections, inflammatory, arthritic disease, etc. Despite having many effects, the inherent physicochemical properties—such as poor water solubility, chemical instability, low bioavailability, photodegradation, fast metabolism, and short half-life—of curcumin’s derivatives have limited its medical importance. Recently, unprecedented advances in biomedical nanotechnology have led to the development of nanomaterial-based drug delivery systems in the treatment of diseases and diagnostic goals that simultaneously enhance therapeutic outcomes and avoid side effects. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) are promising drug delivery systems for more effective and safer treatment of several diseases, such as infections, cancers, and osteoporosis. Achieving a high drug loading in MSNs is critical to the success of this type of treatment. Their notable inherent properties—such as adjustable size and porosity, high pore volume, large surface area, functionality of versatile surfaces, as well as biocompatibility—have prompted extraordinary research on MSNs as multi-purpose delivery platforms. In this review, we focused on curcumin-loaded silica nanoparticles and their effects on the diagnosis and treatment of infections as well as their use in food packaging. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Silica Nanoparticles as Safety Nanocarriers)
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