Supraparticles for High Payload Loading and Sustained Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mesoporous silica materials face challenges in efficient loading and sustained drug delivery, particularly for therapeutic applications.
Innovation Solution
The development of supraparticles with unique pore sizes and structures, such as bimodal pore diameters and disordered arrangements, allows for high payload loading and controlled release of therapeutic agents like neurotrophins, achieved through electrospraying nanoparticles with alginic acid and subsequent calcination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional mesoporous silica materials are used, then the material structure is well-defined and reproducible, but the payload loading capacity is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The supraparticle is segmented into multiple nanoparticles (e.g., 10-1000 nanoparticles per supraparticle) that aggregate to form a larger composite structure. This segmentation allows each nanoparticle to contribute to the overall payload capacity while maintaining individual pore structures, thereby increasing total loading capacity without requiring a completely new material structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The nanoparticle structure is nested within the supraparticle matrix, creating a hierarchical structure where smaller porous nanoparticles are embedded within a larger supraparticle framework. This nesting allows multiple levels of payload accommodation - within individual nanoparticle pores and within the supraparticle interstitial spaces, dramatically increasing total payload capacity.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If conventional mesoporous silica materials are used, then the synthesis process is straightforward, but the sustained drug delivery performance is inadequate
Solution Approach 1:
The nanoparticles are pre-synthesized with controlled pore structures and payload loading capabilities before being assembled into supraparticles. This preliminary preparation allows optimization of individual nanoparticle properties for sustained release, while the subsequent supraparticle assembly provides the extended duration through aggregated structure and controlled degradation kinetics.
Solution Approach 2:
The supraparticle is formed as a composite material combining multiple nanoparticles with specific pore structures, surface properties, and payload contents. This composite structure enables sustained drug delivery through the synergistic effects of individual nanoparticle properties and the collective supraparticle architecture, achieving extended release durations that neither component could provide alone.
3Quantity of substance
If larger pore diameters are introduced to increase payload loading, then the loading capacity improves, but the structural stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The supraparticle segments the payload accommodation function across multiple smaller nanoparticles rather than relying on a single large-pore structure. Each nanoparticle maintains its own stable pore structure, while the collective aggregation provides the necessary payload capacity, thus preserving structural stability while achieving high loading capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the supraparticle structure have different qualities - individual nanoparticles maintain small, stable pore structures for structural integrity, while the supraparticle-level aggregation creates larger effective pore spaces for payload accommodation. This local differentiation allows simultaneous optimization of both stability and loading capacity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Supraparticles can load high levels of therapeutic payloads, including neurotrophins, and provide sustained release profiles over extended periods, enhancing therapeutic efficacy in treating conditions like sensorineural hearing loss.
Implementation Method 1
supraparticles may be produced by electrospraying a composition comprising nanoparticles and Alginic acid or a polysaccharide derivative thereof into a di-cationic aqueous solution
Implementation Method 2
In an example, the supraparticles may be subject to calcination to remove alginic acid before being loaded with payload
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to improved supraparticles loaded with high levels of payload and methods for their production. Such supraparticles may be used in a range of therapeutic applications, for example, to improve growth or survival of cells and/or treat disease.