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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2022 Jan 27.
Published in final edited form as: Adv Funct Mater. 2020 Oct 13;31(5):2007096. doi: 10.1002/adfm.202007096

Table 1.

A summary table of types of the nanomaterial and the therapeutic payloads/stimuli incorporated in the previously reviewed inorganic nanocarriers along with their target cancers/tumors. Abbreviation: ODN (oligonucleotide); AMF (alternative magnetic field); NIR (near-infrared).

Main features of inorganic core material Core nanomaterial Cancer cell/tumor type Therapeutic payload/stimulus Section Refs.
Silica MSN MCF7 Bcl2 siRNA and DOX 4.1 [134]

  • Adjustable pore size for drug/gene loading and sequential cargo release

  • High surface area for high drug loading

  • Biocompatible

 MSN MCF7 P-gp siRNA and DOX 4.1 [137]
MSN HeLa Bcl2 siRNA and DOX 4.1 [138]
MSN MCF7 P-gp siRNA and DOX 4.1 [143]
Silica NP C6 glioma P53 plasmid and DOX 4.2 [152]
MSN-Ag2S A549 and HeLa Dox, survivin antisense OGN (db-DNA), NIR 8.1 [272]
MSN MCF7/ADR Dox, P-gp siRNA, NIR 8.1 [274]
Gold AuNP MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 stem cell miR-21i and DOX 4.1 [146]

  • Strong NIR absorption for improved photothermal therapy, NIR-triggered cargo release, and photoacoustic imaging

  • Reactive surface Au–S chemistry for facile conjugation

  • Versatility in shape design (nanosphere, nanorod, nanocage, etc.)

  • Bioinert

 AuNP CD4+/25+ regulatory T cells eGFP siRNA 5.1 [183]
AuNR Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) IDO siRNA, Flt3-L 5.1 [184]
AuNP Melanoma PDL1 siRNA, STAT3 siRNA 5.2 [194]
AuNP A549-C8 human lung adenocarcinoma M2 peptide, VEGF siRNA 5.3 [196]
AuNR Cal-27 human oral squamous carcinoma BAG3 siRNA and NIR 6.2 [224]
AuNR MDA-MB-231 and SUM-159 breast cancers PKM2 siRNA and NIR 6.2 [225]
AuNP NIH-3T3 Plk1 siRNA and NIR 6.2 [226]
AuNP PC3 prostate cancer VEGF siRNA and NIR 6.2 [227]
AuNP–graphene HL-60 (human promyelocytic leukemia) Bcl2 siRNA and NIR 6.2 [228]
AuNP Human epithelial carcinoma cell line A431 STAT3 decoy ODN and linear accelerator radiation 7.2 [260]
AuNR PC3 tumor Dox, MRP1 siRNA, NIR 8.1 [270]
AuNR Hepatocellular carcinoma cells (H22) Dox, CpG, and NIR 8.1 [271]
Iron oxide Fe3O4–Mn3O4 MCF7 Bcl2 siRNA and DOX 4.1 [145]

  • Superparamagnetism for enhanced MRI contrast, magentotransfection application, and improved magnetic hyperthermia therapy

  • Biodegradable into iron ions in vivo

 IONP SGC-7901 gastric cancer PD-L1 siRNA 5.2 [191]
IONP Mammary adenocarcinoma IL12 plasmid 5.2 [193]
IONP SKOV3 ovarian cancer Anti-CD3/anti-Epcam MC.DNA 5.3 [201]
ZnFe2O4 NP U87 glioblastoma Lethal-7a (let-7a) miRNA and AMF 6.1 [218]
IONP Glioblastoma Ape1 siRNA and Cs-g-ray 7.1 [250]
IONP Pediatric brain cancer UW228 and RES196 Ape1 siRNA and Cs-g-ray 7.1 [251]
IONP HeLa cervical cancer cells E1A plasmid and X-ray 7.1 [254]
Fe3O4–TiO2 HeLa Dox, beta-catenin siRNA, TiO2 NIR 8.2 [277]
Calcium phosphate LCP PC-3 prostate cancer GRP78 siRNA and docetaxel 4.1 [144]

  • High nucleic acid loading capacity in hollow core

  • Economical coprecipitation synthesis

 LCP Nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) VEGF siRNA and gemacitabine 4.2 [156]
LCP Melanoma CpG, Trp2 peptide 5.1 [186]
LCP Melanoma Trp2 mRNA, PDL1 siRNA 5.1 [187]
LCP Melanoma MUC1 mRNA and CTLA4 mAb 5.1 [188]
LCP Colorectal cancer CXCL12-trap plasmid 5.3 [200]
LCP Human oral squamous cancers HIFa siRNA and photosan 6.3 [231]
LCP Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma VEGF siRNA and photosan 6.3 [232]
Inorganic composites Fe3O4-MSN HeLa VEGF shRNA and DOX 4.2 [155]

  • Features inherited from multiple inorganic materials listed above

 Fe3O4-MSN Heptocellular carcinoma HSVTK/GCV plasmid and AMF 6.1 [215]
Si–ZnFe2O4 NP Ovarian cancer HSP-TRAIL plasmid and AMF 6.1 [220]
AuNR-MSN HepG2 Sorafenib, P53 plasmid, NIR 8.1 [269]
Fe3O4–Au-MSN MCF7 and EMT6 Dox, P-gp shRNA, and chlorin e6 8.2 [275]
Biocompatible; easy surface Selenium NP U251 glioblastoma c-myc siRNA and DOX 4.2 [153]
Direct cargo binding; cancer-specific toxicity ZnO NP Melanoma TLR3 agonist dsRNA, Poly I:C 5.2 [192]
Convert the deep-penetrating NIR light to visible light NaGdF4:Yb,Er UCNP HeLa PIk1 siRNA and chlorin e6 6.3 [233]
Radiative energy deposition; enhanced ROS accumulation GdW10 nanosphere BEL-7402 tumor HIF1a siRNA and X-ray 7.2 [264]
More degradable and higher drug loading than silica nanomaterials Polysilsesquioxane NP MDA-MB-231 Curcumin, GFP siRNA, PpIX 8.2 [276]