Engineering core-shell mesoporous silica and Fe₃O₄@Au nanosystems for targeted cancer therapeutics: a review

ABSTRACT

The extensive utilization of nanoparticles in cancer therapies has inspired a new field of study called cancer nanomedicine. In contrast to traditional anticancer medications, nanomedicines offer a targeted strategy that eliminates side effects and has high efficacy. With its vast surface area, variable pore size, high pore volume, abundant surface chemistry and specific binding affinity, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MPSNPs) are a potential candidate for cancer diagnosis and treatment. However, there are several bottlenecks associated with nanoparticles, including specific toxicity or affinity towards particular body fluid, which can cater by architecting core-shell nanosystems. The core-shell chemistries, synergistic effects, and interfacial heterojunctions in core-shell nanosystems enhance their stability, catalytic and physicochemical attributes, which possess high performance in cancer therapeutics. This review article summarizes research and development dedicated to engineering mesoporous core-shell nanosystems, especially silica nanoparticles and Fe₃O₄@Au nanoparticles, owing to their unique physicochemical characteristics. Moreover, it highlights state-of-the-art magnetic and optical attributes of Fe₃O₄@Au and MPSNP-based cancer therapy strategies. It details the designing of Fe₃O₄@Au and MPSN to bind with drugs, receptors, ligands, and destroy tumour cells and targeted drug delivery. This review serves as a fundamental comprehensive structure to guide future research towards prospects of core-shell nanosystems based on Fe₃O₄@Au and MPSNP for cancer theranostics.

KEYWORDS:

• Mesoporous silica core-shell nanoparticles (MPSNPs)
• Fe₃O₄@Au nanoparticles
• cancer therapy
• tetraethoxysilane (TEOS)
• polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)

Abbreviated authors’ names are

HP – Himani Pathania

MS – Mamta Sharma

PC – Priyanka Chauhan

VC – Vishal Chaudhary

AK – Ajit Khosla

N – Neetika

SK – Sunil Kumar

G – Gaurav

Acknowledgment

This review article would not have been possible without the supervision of MS, PC, VC, AK, N, SK, G. Their enthusiasm, knowledge, and exacting attention to detail have been an inspiration and kept my work on track throughout the making, designing and final presentation of the review article.

Authors’ contributions

HP and MS conceived the original idea. This idea was also discussed with PC, VC, AK, N, SK, G. Eventually, all authors agreed with the main idea of this paper. HP collected the data and drafted the manuscript including tables and figures, MS did the data analysis. PC, VC, AK, N, SK and G did the critical revision of the manuscript. MS, VC provided technical and administrative support and did the critical revision of final manuscript and gave final approval to the version that is to be published.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported that there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Himani Pathania

Himani Pathania: Ph.D. Research Scholar, Shoolini University, Solan. She is currently working on unique model for growth of medicinal plants to alleviate climate effect and abiotic stress.

Priyanka Chauhan

Priyanka Chauhan: Ph.D Botany, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Sciences, Shoolini University, Solan. She has 8 research items published. She has skiils in field of green nanotechnology, plant physiology, abiotic stress. To alleviate climate effect and abiotic stress on vegetation, a unique model for cultivation of himalayan crops has been successfully developed.

Vishal Chaudhary

Vishal Chaudhary: Ph.D Physics, Assistant Professor, Physics Department, Nivedita Bahgini College, Delhi. He has total 46 research items publised. currenntly he is working on a project ‘Smart sensors based on nanostructured conducting polymers for monitoring hazardous gases’.

Ajit Khosla

Ajit Khosla: He is a Professor of School of Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology at Xidian University. The major focus of his research projects and collaborations with industry and unversities globally, resulting in over 200 scientific contributions. Currently he is the chair of the Electrochemical Society- Sensor Division and an Editor of the Journal of the Electrochemical Society and Journal of Solid State Science and Technology.

Neetika

Neetika: She is a Ph.D. research scholar, working on green nanotechnology.

Sunil Kumar

Sunil Kumar: Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of Animal Sciences. He has specialisation in Agricultural entomology and Plant Nematology.

Gaurav

Gaurav: Assistant Professor, Ramjas College, Department of Botany, University of Delhi, Delhi, India.

Mamta Sharma

Mamta Sharma: Assistant Professor, Sardar Patel University, Department of Botany. She is a dedicated botanist whose chief interests lie in plant conservation and stress physiology with emphasis on impacts of climate change on plants. She has 46 granted and filed patents and many published patents in the field of nano agrotechnology in her credit. She has published around 45 research findings in reputed high impact factor Scopus indexed and Thomson Reuters International journals. To alleviate climate effect and abiotic stress on vegetation, a unique model for cultivation of vegetables has been successfully developed.