This manuscript reviews the recent progress on mesoporous silica nanoparticles as drug delivery systems. Their intrinsic structural, textural and chemical features permit to design versatile multifunctional nanosystems with the capability to target the diseased tissue and release the cargo on demand upon exposition to internal or external stimuli. The degradation rate of these nanocarriers in diverse physiological fluids is overviewed obeying their significance for their potential translation towards clinical applications. To conclude, the balance between the benefits and downsides of this revolutionary nanotechnological tool is also discussed.

Mesoporous silica SBA-15 was prepared to evaluate its effectiveness as a matrix for the controlled delivery of macrolide-type antibiotics. Two types of material were used to evaluate the delivery: calcined samples and samples functionalized with octyltrimethoxysilane and octadecyltrimethoxysilane. The samples were charged with the macrolide antibiotic erythromycin and the release assays were carried out in vitro. It has been observed that the release rate decreases as the population of hydrophobic –CH₂ moieties in the host increases.

The bioactivity behaviour of SBA-15, MCM-48, MCM-41 mesoporous materials, is revisited in this paper. The influence of their different textural and structural properties on apatite formation is outlined and strategies to modify their kinetics are proven and discussed. On the basis of the experimental data showing the feasibility of control of the bioactivity kinetics on mesoporous materials, together with their controlled drug release abilities, new possibilities for tissue engineering developments are proposed.