Nanostructured mesoporous silica matrices in nanomedicine

In the last few years the biomedical research field has shown a growing interest towards nanostructured mesoporous silica materials, whose chemical composition is silica and present nanometric pores. These bioceramics exhibit two important features: they can regenerate osseous tissues - the bond bioactivity of these materials has been confirmed by the formation of biological-like nanoapatites on their surface when in contact with physiological fluids - and they are able to act as controlled release systems. Drugs in the nanometre scale can be loaded on those matrices and then locally released in a controlled fashion. It is possible to chemically modify the silica walls to favour the adsorption of certain biomolecules such as peptides, proteins or growth factors. It is even possible to design smart biomaterials where the drug is released under an external stimulus. Thus, looking at all those properties, a question arises: Have these bioceramics good expectations to be used in clinical medical practice? Their biocompatibility, bioactivity, capacity to regenerate bone and ability to act as controlled release systems of biologically active species have been confirmed. In fact, their preliminary in vitro and in vivo essays have been positive. Now it is the time to adequate all these properties to the actual clinical problems, and to evaluate their efficiency in comparison with materials already known and currently employed such as bioglasses.