Effect of Shape on Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Oral Delivery of Indomethacin

Abstract

The use of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) in the field of oral drug delivery has recently attracted greater attention. However, there is still limited knowledge about how the shape of MSNs affects drug delivery capacity. In our study, we fabricated mesoporous silica nanorods (MSNRs) to study the shape effects of MSNs on oral delivery. MSNRs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nitrogen adsorption/desorption, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and small-angle X-ray diffraction (small-angle XRD). Indomethacin (IMC), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent, was loaded into MSNRs as model drug, and the drug-loaded MSNRs resulted in an excellent dissolution-enhancing effect. The cytotoxicity and in vivo pharmacokinetic studies indicated that MSNRs can be applied as a safe and efficient candidate for the delivery of insoluble drugs. The use of MSNs with a rod-like shape, as a drug delivery carrier, will extend the pharmaceutical applications of silica materials.

<p>Superiority of L-tartaric Acid Modified Chiral Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle as a Drug Carrier: Structure, Wettability, Degradation, Bio-Adhesion and Biocompatibility</p>

“…[1][2][3][4][5] Different from the traditional drug carriers such as micelles, organic gels and liposomes, MSNs with inorganic rigid structural framework exhibit chemical inertness, mechanical strength and thermal stability, and could effectively protect their cargo from premature degradation and chemical/biological reactions under rigorous physiological conditions, and can deliver a large amount of cargo in a controlled manner during their transportation in vivo. [6][7][8] As mesoporous materials, their internal nanopores with large surface area and pore volume provide great potential for drug adsorption and loading, while the silanol enriched external surfaces are easily modified with molecular, supramolecular or polymer moieties, and could improve the versatility of carriers. 1,5,6 Moreover, the tunable nanometersized pore size of MSNs effectively reduce the particle size of cargo and provide better control of drug loading and release kinetics while performing delivery tasks.…”

“…1,3,9 A substantial number of studies have reported the applications of MSNs as drug carriers, and the use of MSNs as drug carriers have been proven to be successful in vitro. [6][7][8][10][11][12] To the best of our knowledge, the efficacy of MSN carriers is decided by the structural features which determine the physicochemical properties of MSNs, including shape, size, pore characteristics, and surface chemistry. 13 Along with great progress in the structure control and multi-functionalization design of MSNs, various drug delivery formulations such as immediate drug delivery systems, sustained drug delivery systems, controlled drug delivery systems, targeted drug delivery systems, and stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems have been developed to improve the dissolution and bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs and enhance their therapeutic potential.…”

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles for drug delivery—Recent advances

“…However, MSNRs exhibited better in vivo pharmacokinetics than MSNSs. The ordered helical channels and larger surface area-to-volume ratio of MSNRs are the leading reasons for this result (21).…”

“…When water-insoluble drug molecules are impregnated in the porous channel of MSNs, they would convert into their amorphous state, and the limited space within the mesopores can inhibit the recrystallization of the incorporated amorphous drug molecules. Compared with the crystalline state, the amorphous drugs, without ordered structure, show the higher apparent solubility as there is no crystal lattice to be broken during the dissolution process (20,21).…”

Characterization of Drugs Encapsulated Into Mesoporous Silica

“…Similar to the dissolution test, in the in vivo study showed that the rod-shaped 2.2 fold higher than the sphere-shaped. This indicated that the different shape of MSP can affect the behaviour of drugs incorporated into MSP [41].…”