title: Recent advances in mesoporous silica nanoparticles for antitumor therapy: our contribution.
abstract: Since 2001, when our research group proposed for the first time MCM-41 as a drug release system, the scientific community has demonstrated a growing interest in mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) for their revolutionary potential in nanomedicine. Among the diverse pathologies that can be treated with MSNs, cancer has received increasing attention. MSNs can be loaded with large amounts of therapeutic cargoes and once intravenously administrated preferentially accumulate in solid tumours via the enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) effect. Herein we report the recent developments achieved by our research group as a pioneer in this field, highlighting: the design of sophisticated MSNs as stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems to release the entrapped cargo upon exposure to a given stimulus while preventing the premature release of highly cytotoxic drugs before reaching the target; transporting non-toxic prodrugs and the enzyme responsible for its conversion into cytotoxic agents into the same MSNs; improving the selectivity and cellular uptake by cancer cells by active targeting of MSNs; increasing the penetration of MSNs within the tumour mass, which is one of the major challenges in the use of NPs to treat solid tumours.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Inorgánica y Bioinorgánica. Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre i+12, Plaza Ramón y Cajal s/n, E-28040 Madrid, Spain. vallet@ucm.es.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baeza
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manzano
authors.forename: Montserrat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Colilla
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vallet-Regí
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry*; D065546:Drug Liberation; D006801:Humans; D050997:Nanomedicine; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016062:Porosity; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004337:Drug Carriers; D012822:Silicon Dioxide