Multifunctional biosilica nanoparticles for medicine

Engineered nanoparticles (NPs) are widely used in nanomedicine for precise disease diagnosis and therapy. Among the various types of NPs, inorganic nanoparticles stand out due to their tunable size, high stability, and unique physicochemical properties. This work investigates porous biosilica nanoparticles derived from diatomite (DNPs), produced through ultrasound treatment and size-selective filtration to obtain particles in the 100–400 nm range. The porous architecture of DNPs enables efficient drug loading, and these nanoparticles can be made photoluminescent for imaging applications. Previous studies have demonstrated their biocompatibility and cellular uptake in several cancer cell lines. Moreover, surface functionalization significantly enhances drug delivery efficiency and improves pharmacological performance. A hybrid nanosystem combining DNPs with gold nanoparticles has been developed for Raman imaging and drug delivery, together with ligand-based targeting strategies to enhance therapeutic efficacy in mouse models.