Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles as a Gene Delivery Platform for Cancer Therapy

Cancer remains a major global health challenge. Traditional chemotherapy often results in side effects and drug resistance, necessitating the development of alternative treatment strategies such as gene therapy. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) offer many advantages as a gene delivery carrier, including high loading capacity, controlled drug release, and easy surface functionalization. MSNs are biodegradable and biocompatible, making them promising candidates for drug delivery applications. Recent studies demonstrating the use of MSNs for the delivery of therapeutic nucleic acids to cancer cells have been reviewed, along with their potential as a tool for cancer therapy. The major challenges and future interventions of MSNs as gene delivery carriers for cancer therapy are discussed.

1. Introduction

Cancer remains a major health problem worldwide and its treatment remains challenging owing to the limitations of chemotherapy, which often result in side effects and drug resistance [1,2,3,4]. There is a need for alternative treatment strategies, such as gene therapy. Gene delivery is a promising approach for treating cancer by targeting specific genes and regulating their expression [5]. However, gene delivery requires an effective carrier that can protect the therapeutic genes from degradation, facilitate cellular uptake, and promote the release of the therapeutic genes within the cells [6,7].

Several gene delivery systems have been developed, including organic and inorganic carriers [8,9,10]. Organic carriers such as liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, and dendrimers have been widely studied for gene delivery because of their biocompatibility and ability to encapsulate a wide range of therapeutic molecules [11,12]. However, their low stability and limited ability to control drug release have led to the development of inorganic carriers, such as mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) [13].

MSNs are a class of inorganic materials with unique properties, including a high surface area, tunable pore size, and biocompatibility, which make them attractive candidates for drug delivery applications [14,15]. MSNs have been extensively examined as drug delivery platforms for cancer therapy, and their use as gene delivery carriers has gained increasing attention in recent years [16,17]. MSNs offer several advantages as gene-delivery carriers, including high loading capacity, controlled drug release, and easy surface functionalization [18,19]. Furthermore, MSNs are biodegradable, and their degradation products, such as silicic acid, are naturally occurring substances that are safe for human use [20].

In this review, we focus on the use of MSNs as a gene delivery carrier for cancer therapy. We will discuss the required properties of MSNs that make them suitable for gene delivery, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and safe. We will also review recent studies that have demonstrated the use of MSNs for the delivery of therapeutic nucleic acids to cancer cells and their potential as a tool for cancer therapy. Finally, we highlighted the challenges and future perspectives of MSNs as a gene delivery carrier for cancer therapy.

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Khaliq, N.U.; Lee, J.; Kim, J.; Kim, Y.; Yu, S.; Kim, J.; Kim, S.; Sung, D.; Kim, H. Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles as a Gene Delivery Platform for Cancer Therapy. Pharmaceutics 2023, 15, 1432.
https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15051432