Table 1 Examples of MSNs employed for the treatment of cancer and other diseases

Breast cancer

MSNs functionalized with carbon dots, coated with chitosan and targeted by an anti-MUC1 aptamer

Nanoparticles demonstrated potent and selective anticancer activity, and potential for targeted cancer therapy and fluorescence imaging

Kajani et al. (2023)

Antibacterial

MSNs loaded with curcumin

Permissible hemolytic and antibacterial activity against various bacterial strains

Krishnan et al. (2023)

Antibacterial

MSNs loaded with levofloxacin

Development of a levofloxacin-based nanoplatform holding promise for applications against resistant bacterial infections

Haroon et al. (2022)

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

MSNs loaded with therapeutic cocktail of Leptin and Pioglitazone

Treatment TDP-43A315T mice (an ALS animal model) with a drug cocktail (leptin/pioglitazone) delivered via MSNs slowed disease progression and improved motor performance

Díaz-García et al. (2022)

Alzheimer’s disease

Curcumin-loaded MSNs dispersed in thermo-responsive hydrogel

High permeation of curcumin through the porcine nasal mucosa. In a streptozotocin-induced Alzheimer’s model in mice, they also reversed the cognitive deficit,

Ribeiro et al. (2022)

Myocardial infarction (MI)

MSN-conjugated CD11b antibody, loaded with Notoginsenoside R1 (NGR1)

demonstrated that NGR1 can protect cardiomyocytes from oxidative stress and apoptosis, promote angiogenesis and M2 macrophage polarization, and modulate inflammatory responses and chemokines in MI mice. They also revealed that NGR1 can activate AKT, MAPK and Hippo signaling pathways in vitro and in vivo, and that these pathways are involved in the cardioprotective mechanisms of NGR1

Li et al. (2022)

Melanoma (skin cancer)

MSNs were functionalized with a histidine-tagged targeting peptide (B3int), and loaded with an anticancer drug (cisplatin (CP)) and a lysosomal destabilization mediator (chloroquine (CQ)). Cu²⁺ was used to seal the pores of the MSNs via chelation

nanoparticles release the loaded drugs (cisplatin and chloroquine) in response to the acidic pH of the lysosomes/endosomes, where the Cu2 + ions dissociate from the peptide and act as a catalyst for generating ROS that damage tumor cells. Exhibition of potent anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo, with significant reduction of tumor volume

Zhang et al. (2022c)

Bladder cancer

miR-34a/siPD-L1 was loaded on MSNs modified with poly (lactic–co-glycolic acid), polyethylene glycol and c(RGDfK) peptide

nanoparticles could deliver miR-34a and siPD-L1 to T24 cells while protecting from serum degradation, and modulate the expression of PD-L1, a key immune checkpoint molecule, to improve the anti-tumor response

Shahidi et al. (2022)

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

MSNs loaded with an sonic hedgehog pathway inhibitor, cyclopamine (CyP), and chemotherapeutic drugs Gemcitabine and Cisplatin

Inhibition of sonic hedgehog pathway, stromal modulation facilitation increased uptake and accumulation of nanoparticles at tumor site in mice

Tarannum et al. (2022)

Hepatitis C

Velpatasvir (VLP) loaded MSNs

nanosystem demonstrated improved solubility and dissolution, absorption, and blood concentration of VLP, as well as its accumulation in the liver, the target site for hepatitis C virus infection, in comparison with pure VLP, both in vitro and in vivo

Mehmood et al. (2020)