Indian scientists have made silica nanoparticles with pores that can be made to absorb hydrophobic drugs. Researchers found that the size of outer surface modifications/coatings affects how much drug can be loaded and released. This is not good. This led to more drug loading capacity and a better working DDS.
Key Highlight:
- Researchers in India have developed silica nanoparticles with pores tuned to absorb hydrophobic drugs, improving drug delivery systems.
- Porous surface-functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) are widely used DDS (pore sizes can be varied from 2 nm to 20 nm).
- The current method of completing outer surface functionalization first and then loading the drug results in much lower drug loading as the molecules used for outer surface functionalization close the pores.
- CSIR-NCL, Pune converted MSNs into an amphifunctional system with hydrophobic pores and hydrophilic surface functionalization.
- The hydrophobic pores allow hydrophobic drugs to be loaded into the pores, while the hydrophilic outer surfaces make the MSNs more stable in physiological conditions.
Indian scientists have made silica nanoparticles with pores that can be made to absorb hydrophobic drugs. These nanoparticles have more stable surfaces and better absorption properties, making it easier for people to get their medicine.
There are new-age tools called drug delivery systems (DDS) that are meant to solve the problems of traditional therapy. Because of new drug delivery systems, it is now possible to deliver a therapeutic agent to the exact place where it is needed and at the precise dose that the body needs it at. This is supposed to avoid the side effects of giving a lot of drugs to the whole body. Surface-functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) are very common in DDS because they have a porous structure that allows them to be used in DDS (pore sizes can be varied from 2 nm to 20 nm). However, it turns out that the current way to do this is to first do something to the outside of the drug, then put the drug in. This results in a much lower drug load because the molecules used to do this close the pores.
Scientists at a government-owned research center and a chemical lab in India have made MSNs into an amphifunctional system with hydrophobic pores and hydrophilic surface functionalization. This was done in a paper called “Particle & Particle. System Characterization.” Using hydrophobic pores to load hydrophobic drugs into them and hydrophilic outer surfaces to make the MSNs more stable under normal conditions makes the MSNs more durable and helps them stay together. They used a process called selective chemical functionalization strategies to make this change.
Their study found that the size of outer surface modifications/coatings can affect how much drug can be loaded and how quickly it can be released. Drugs can’t get into the hydrophobic pockets of particles if there are bigger surface groups around the particles.
Drug loading and surface functionalization were done differently to avoid this. First, the drug was loaded into its pores, and then the surface was made more functional (like fixing the gate). This led to more drug loading capacity and a better functioning DDS.
The team thinks that the results of these studies could be used as a guide to help design better drug delivery systems.
Publication link: https://doi.org/10.1002/ppsc.202100185
