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Updated: May 1, 2026

Manufacture and Drug Delivery Applications of Silk Nanoparticles
Published on: October 8, 2016
pH-responsive mesoporous silica nanoparticles employed in controlled drug delivery systems for cancer treatment
Ke-Ni Yang1, Chun-Qiu Zhang1, Wei Wang1
11 State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Pharmaceutics, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China ; 2 CAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China ; 3 Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Department of Radiology, Howard University, Washington DC 20060, USA.
Abstract:
In the fight against cancer, controlled drug delivery systems have emerged to enhance the therapeutic efficacy and safety of anti-cancer drugs. Among these systems, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with a functional surface possess obvious advantages and were thus rapidly developed for cancer treatment. Many stimuli-responsive materials, such as nanoparticles, polymers, and inorganic materials, have been applied as caps and gatekeepers to control drug release from MSNs. This review presents an overview of the recent progress in the production of pH-responsive MSNs based on the pH gradient between normal tissues and the tumor microenvironment. Four main categories of gatekeepers can respond to acidic conditions. These categories will be described in detail.
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