Mesoporous Silica Nanocarriers for Enhanced Solubility and Bioavailability of Hydrophobic Anticancer Drugs

This study investigated mesoporous silica nanocarriers (MSNs) as a strategy to overcome the poor solubility and low bioavailability of hydrophobic anticancer drugs. MSNs were synthesized, functionalized, and evaluated for drug loading, release, pharmacokinetics, and cytotoxicity. Results demonstrated that MSN formulations significantly enhanced drug solubility and dissolution rates compared with free drug suspensions, as confirmed by one-way and two-way ANOVA in SPSS. Pharmacokinetic profiling revealed marked improvements in Cmax, AUC, and half-life, indicating enhanced systemic exposure and bioavailability. Functionalized MSNs exhibited controlled, stimuli-responsive release under acidic and reductive conditions and achieved higher cellular uptake and tumor accumulation through folate receptor targeting. Statistical analysis showed that solubility enhancement was highly significant (p < 0.001) and pharmacokinetic improvements, including AUC and Cmax, were also statistically significant (p < 0.001). These results validate the reliability and robustness of MSN-based formulations. Overall, MSNs represent an effective delivery platform capable of improving therapeutic efficacy while reducing systemic toxicity. Future clinical translation may enable the development of safer, targeted nanomedicine approaches for cancer therapy.