BioSilicon: A Novel Drug Delivery System

A Nanostructure is an object of intermediate size between molecular and microscopic (micrometer-sized) structures. Nanostructures may be used as a carrier system to deliver drugs primarily to avoid the harmful side effects. In the recent years, Porous silicon (pSi) is being extensively studied as an emerging material for use in biomedical applications, including drug delivery, based on the biodegradability and versatile chemical and biophysical properties. BioSilicon is a biomaterial with highly biocompatible properties and a defined and controllable nano-porous structure. There has been rapid growth in the number and types of BioSilicon materials synthesized and the number of patents describing potential applications has increased considerably in recent years. This review is primarily directed at pharmaceutical applications of BioSilicon, but will develop scientific rationale to underpin many other areas of applications, e.g. diagnostics, tissue engineering and orthopedics. It can be used as a microparticle-carrier for the controlled release of a variety of therapeutics or as a porous membrane in implantable devices. The overall aim of this article is to gain new insight into BioSilicon as a drug delivery vehicle from the combined application of material science, interfacial science and pharmaceutical science.