Stimulus-responsive mesoporous silica particles

The field of stimulus-responsive mesoporous silica nanoparticles has expanded greatly over the last decade. Novel advanced drug delivery systems (DDSs) that are using interesting techniques to achieve stimulus responsiveness were developed, advancing the knowledge in both the pharmaceutical and material science fields. In this review, we focus on the stimulus-responsive mesoporous silica systems with gate-like assemblies on pore openings. These assemblies are sensitive to a particular stimulus and allow precise control over the release of cargo. An overview of a variety of gating assemblies in connection with respective stimuli will provide the reader with an insight in the field with the emphasis on the construction of complete drug carrier systems. Systems are presented based on the structure of the nano-gates on pore openings in combination with the release stimuli. New achievements such as co-delivery of drugs, combining multiple stimuli with AND logic and coupling DDSs with targeting moieties and reporting systems are also highlighted.