Diatom mediated smart drug delivery system

Novel Drug and Gene Delivery System and Imaging Agent Based on Marine Diatom Biosilica Nanoparticles

“… Diatom structure in the form of microcapsules as observed under light microscope; and the MSNs under transmission electron microscope exhibiting ordered porous structure (modified from [ 3 ] under Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license; and [ 15 ] with permission, Copyright © 2021, Elsevier). …”

“…Diatoms are single-celled phytoplankton that contribute to a fifth of all photosynthesis on the planet [ 15 ]. Diatoms can build micro- or nanoscale structures by depositing silica with distinctive architectures, a varied aspect ratio, and an ease of chemical functionalization/alteration to confer thermal and mechanical strength, optical/photonic properties, and environmental resilience [ 24 ].…”

“…The chemical route is also time-consuming and energy intensive. Diatoms, an exclusive genus of algae, having sizes from 2 to 500 µm, are natural sources that can be used as alternatives to manufacture silica [ 15 ]. The shape of the diatom is just like a miniaturized pill box, where the cell wall is made of translucent, opaline silica, which can be absorbed from the surroundings and deposited as frustules in its biomineralized silica cell walls.…”

The thermo-therapeutic applications of Chitosan- CTAB coated Nickel Ferrite (NiFe2O4) magnetic nanoparticles

“…The bonding of different parts with nanoparticles expands their application and provides superior properties. Among the various nanoparticles, iron oxide nanoparticles are known as smart drug nanocarriers [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Iron oxide nanoparticles are a type of magnetic nanoparticle, with Magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) and Maghemite (γ-Fe 2 O 3 ) nanoparticles being widely used in biomedical applications.…”

Diatom Biosilica in Targeted Drug Delivery and Biosensing Applications: Recent Studies

“…Indeed, several excellent reviews addressing the subjects prior to our selected timeframe are available to the reader [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]24]. More recently, other authors have also discussed different aspects of the fields in terms, e.g., of the applications of diatoms or microalgae in bio-sensing and -technology [18,[32][33][34], the discovery of active compounds [35][36][37], surface chemistry [38], material science [39][40][41] and as drug carries [42][43][44]. We begin with a short overview of the diatoms' structure and we then move specifically to the use of diatoms for the targeted delivery of anticancer and antibiotic drugs, and how the same microalgae are employed in the fabrications of biosensors whose analyte signal response is evaluated via fluorescence and surface-enhanced Raman scattering techniques.…”