Silica-based nanoparticles for applications in photodynamic therapy (PDT) have emerged as a promising field for the treatment of cancer. In this review, based on the pathway the photosensitizer is entrapped inside the silica matrix, the different methods for the synthesis of silica-based nanoparticles are described from the pioneering works to the latest achievements which concern multifunctional nanoplatforms, up-converting nanoparticles, two-photon PDT, vectorization and in vivo applications.

Functionalisation of MSN with mannose for PDT applications dramatically improved the efficiency of PDT on breast cancer cells.

The reaction of gold nanoparticles with benzimididazol-2-ylidene ligands leads to the formation of well-defined bis-carbene gold(I) complexes, as shown by characterization techniques such as powder XRD and solid state NMR.