Influence of Surface Ligand Density and Particle Size on the Penetration of the Blood-Brain Barrier by Porous Silicon Nanoparticles.

ABSTRACT: Overcoming the blood-brain barrier (BBB) remains a significant challenge with regard to drug delivery to the brain. By incorporating targeting ligands, and by carefully adjusting particle sizes, nanocarriers can be customized to improve drug delivery. Among these targeting ligands, transferrin stands out due to the high expression level of its receptor (i.e., transferrin receptor) on the BBB. Porous silicon nanoparticles (pSiNPs) are a promising drug nanocarrier to the brain due to their biodegradability, biocompatibility, and exceptional drug-loading capacity. However, an in-depth understanding of the optimal nanoparticle size and transferrin surface density, in order to maximize BBB penetration, is still lacking. To address this gap, a diverse library of pSiNPs was synthesized using bifu

SUBMITTER: Zhang W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10534822 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature