RT Journal Article
T1 Pore size is a critical parameter for obtaining sustained protein release from electrochemically synthesized mesoporous silicon microparticles
A1 Pastor, Ester L.
A1 Reguera-Nuñez, Elaine
A1 Matveeva, Eugenia
A1 García-Fuentes, Marcos
K1 Mesoporous silicon
K1 Pore size
K1 Controlled release
K1 Microparticles
K1 Protein delivery
K1 Bone morphogenetic protein
AB Mesoporous silicon has become a material of high interest for drug delivery due to its outstanding internal surface area and inherent biodegradability. We have previously reported the preparation of mesoporous silicon microparticles (MS-MPs) synthe- sized by an advantageous electrochemical method, and showed that due to their inner structure they can adsorb proteins in amounts exceeding the mass of the carrier itself. Protein release from these MS-MPs showed low burst effect and fast delivery kinetics with complete release in a few hours. In this work, we explored if tailoring the size of the inner pores of the particles would retard the protein release process. To address this hypothesis, three new MS-MPs prototypes were prepared by electrochemical synthesis, and the resulting carriers were characterized for morphology, particle size, and pore structure. All MS-MP prototypes had 90 μm mean particle size, but depending on the current density applied for synthesis, pore size changed between5 and 13 nm. The model protein α-chymotrypsinogen was loaded into MS-MPsby adsorption and solvent evaporation. In the subsequent release experiments, no burst release of the protein was detected for any prototype. However, prototypes with larger pores (>10 nm) reached 100% release in 24–48 h, whereas prototypes with small mesopores (<6 nm) still retained most of their cargo after 96 h. MS-MPs with ∼6 nm pores were loaded with the osteogenic factor BMP7, and sustained release of this protein for up to two weeks was achieved. In conclusion, our results confirm that tailoring pore size can modify protein release from MS-MPs, and that prototypes with potential therapeutic utility for regional delivery of osteogenic factors can be prepared by convenient techniques.
PB PeerJ
SN 2167-8359
YR 2015
FD 2015
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10347/13636
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10347/13636
LA eng
NO Pastor et al. (2015), Pore size is a critical parameter for obtaining sustained protein release from electrochemicallysynthesized mesoporous silicon microparticles. PeerJ 3:e1277
NO The following grant information was disclosed by the authors:Xunta de Galicia proxectos desenvolvidos por investigadores emerxentes: EM2013/042. Fundación Ramón Areces. XVI Concurso Nacional para la Adjudicación de Ayudas a la Investigación en Ciencias de la Vida y la Materia: CIVP16A1832.Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity: PTQ-09-01-00836.Valencia Community: IMPIVA: IMIDTA/2010/848, IMEXPF/2010/14. Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo.
DS Minerva
RD 24 abr 2026