Rod-shaped mesoporous silica nanoparticles for nanomedicine: recent progress and perspectives

Introduction: Interest in mesoporous silica nanoparticles for drug delivery has resulted in a good understanding of the impact of size and surface chemistry of these nanoparticles on their performance as drug carriers. Shape has emerged as an additional factor that can have a significant effect on delivery efficacy. Rod-shaped mesoporous silica nanoparticles show improvements in drug delivery relative to spherical mesoporous silica nanoparticles. Areas covered: This review summarises the synthesis methods for producing rod-shaped mesoporous silica nanoparticles for use in nanomedicine. The second part covers recent progress of mesoporous silica nanorods by comparing the impact of sphere and rod-shape on drug delivery efficiency. Expert opinion: As hollow mesoporous silica nanorods are capable of higher drug loads than most other drug delivery vehicles, such particles will reduce the amount of mesoporous silica in the body for efficient therapy. However, the importance of nanoparticle shape on drug delivery efficiency is not well understood for mesoporous silica. Studies that visualize and quantify the uptake pathway of mesoporous silica nanorods in specific cell types and compare the cellular uptake to the well-studied nanospheres should be the focus of research to better understand the role of shape in uptake.