Potential of Ordered Mesoporous Silica for Oral Delivery of Poorly Soluble Drugs

Abstract

The use of ordered mesoporous silica is one of the more recent and rapidly developing formulation techniques for enhancing the solubility of poorly water-soluble drugs. Their large surface area and pore volume make ordered mesoporous silica materials excellent candidates for efficient drug loading and rapid release. While this new approach offers many promising advantages, further research is still necessary to elucidate the molecular mechanisms and to improve our scientific insight into the behavior of this system. In this review, the significant developments to date are presented and research challenges highlighted. Aspects of downstream processability are discussed in view of their special bulk powder properties and unique pore architecture. Lastly, perspectives for successful oral dosage form development are presented.

Agglomeration of Mesoporous Silica by Melt and Steam Granulation. Part I: A Comparison Between Disordered and Ordered Mesoporous Silica

“…It is therefore necessary for scientists to continue to search for new and creative approaches to overcome this critical drug development challenge. One quickly emerging technique involves the use of mesoporous silica as a carrier for the enhanced release of poorly water‐soluble drugs …”

Development of Mesoporous Silica Nanomaterials As a Vehicle for Anticancer Drug Delivery

“…The nanoparticles can protect the cargo until it gets released inside the cell. Studies regarding the stability of mesoporous silica materials have provided promising results of the thermal, hydrothermal and mechanical stability of these materials [6] but further investigation is needed. The synthesis of these nanoparticles can be modified to control the diameter of the pores from 2 to 6 nm allowing for the loading of different types of cargo [7].…”

“…Because of their relative stability, which enables a variety of chemical modifications, MSNs have shown particular promise in developing nanoparticles equipped with a variety of nanomachines , including nanovalves and nanoimpellers. In addition, studies are being carried out to investigate the efficacy of mesoporous silica materials for the oral delivery of small molecules [3 – 6], which would increase the wide variety of applications of the mesoporous silica to medicine. In this article, we will describe recent advances in the development of MSNs for drug delivery by describing some examples and discussing advantages of using these nanomaterials compared with other delivery platforms.…”

Agglomeration of Mesoporous Silica by Melt and Steam Granulation. Part II: Screening of Steam Granulation Process Variables Using a Factorial Design

“…Interest in mesoporous silica as a release enhancer of poorly soluble compounds is one of the more recent and burgeoning areas of drug delivery research . Several studies report that mesoporous silica exhibit poor powder‐flow behavior, attributed to small particle size, low bulk density, and hygroscopicity .…”