Silica based ordered mesoporous materials (OMMs) have outstanding textural and structural features that make them suitable hosts for bioactive molecules.
Indeed this kind of material can be easily used to immobilize proteins either to produce a biocatalyst or to prepare a drug depot system which provides a highly protective matrix for sensitive drugs such as therapeutic proteins. It is remarkable that the use of OMMs allows for obtaining very stable and reproducible systems. In the Nanomedicine field some applications both as drug delivery and diagnostic systems have recently been reported.
Several OMMs such as SBA-15 or MCM-41 are well known and widely investigated. A variety of different morphologies in terms of long range order or disorder, surface area and pore size dimensions can be produced introducing modifications either in the template preparation (different additives and/or surfactants) or in the choice of the silanizing precursors. Additional surface functionalizations can address the final applications.
Some successful cases will be presented. The case of a lipase immobilized onto SBA-15 via chemical adsorption to obtain a very efficient and re-usable biocatalyst for the production of biodiesel. The release of Lysozyme immobilized via physical adsorption onto different OMMs. Finally the case of SBA-15 and MCM-41 functionalized with Hyaluronic acid to provide silica particles endowed of bioadhesive properties in the perspective of a drug delivery depot system.
References:
M. Piras, A. Salis, M. Piludu, D. Steri, M. Monduzzi, Chem. Commun. 47, 7338-7340, 2011
D. Steri, M. Monduzzi, A. Salis - Microporous Mesoporous Mater. 170, 164-172, 2013
monduzzi@unica.it
