Biological Use of Nanostructured Silica-Based Materials Functionalized with Metallodrugs: The Spanish Perspective

Since the pioneering work of Vallet-Regí’s group on the design and synthesis of mesoporous silica-based materials with therapeutic applications, during the last 15 years, the potential use of mesoporous silica nanostructured materials as drug delivery vehicles has been extensively explored. The versatility of these materials allows the design of a wide variety of platforms that can incorporate numerous agents of interest (fluorophores, proteins, drugs, etc.) in a single scaffold. However, the use of these systems loaded with metallodrugs as cytotoxic agents against different diseases and with distinct therapeutic targets has been studied to a much lesser extent. This review will focus on the work carried out in this field, highlighting both the pioneering and recent contributions of Spanish groups that have synthesized a wide variety of systems based on titanium, tin, ruthenium, copper and silver complexes supported onto nanostructured silica. In addition, this article will also discuss the importance of the structural features of the systems for evaluating and modulating their therapeutic properties. Finally, the most interesting results obtained in the study of the potential therapeutic application of these metallodrug-functionalized silica-based materials against cancer and bacteria will be described, paying special attention to preclinical trials in vivo.