Diatom mediated smart drug delivery system

Abstract Mesoporous synthetic silica is one of the most significant porous material that has been used in many drug delivery applications, it is capable of overcoming the conventional pharmaceutical limitations. Their synthetic route is considered to be the most challenging and time-consuming, along with the expenses, involvement of chemicals and toxic waste, and highly skilled labor work. There is a tenacious demand to replace these synthetic silica-based materials with a more natural surrogate. Diatoms are single-cell algae, that serve one-fifth of the world’s photosynthesis, with a porous arrangement that fulfills numerous pharmaceutical requirements. It has proven to be a classic replacement for synthetic silica, there are many ways to acquire it, either by mining fossilized diatoms or via the route of cell culture. There is a unique way to control the drug release from mesoporous systems, surface alterations can tune the pore size of material according to the obligations of the drug release process and duration. They can be modified inorganically to transform into a potential instrument for sustained drug release. There have also been many reports regarding the chemical surface modification of diatoms. In the research field of controlled drug delivery applications, the use of diatoms has increased tremendously due to their unique distinguishable characteristics.