Mini-Review: Potential of Diatom-Derived Silica for Biomedical Applications

Diatoms are unicellular eukaryotic microalgae widely distributed in aquatic environments, possessing a porous silica cell wall known as frustule. Diatom frustules are considered as a sustainable source for several industrial applications because of their high biocompatibility and the easiness of surface functionalisation, which make frustules suitable for regenerative medicine and as drug carriers. Frustules are made of hydrated silica, and can be extracted and purified both from living and fossil diatoms using acid treatments or high temperatures. Biosilica frustules have proved to be suitable for biomedical applications, but, unfortunately, they are not officially recognised as safe by governmental food and medical agencies yet. In the present review, we highlight the frustule formation process, the most common purification techniques, as well as advantages and bottlenecks related to the employment of diatom-derived silica for medical purposes, suggesting possible solutions for a large-scale biosilica production.

Interaction of N-acetylneyraminic acid with surface of silica with fructose in aqueous solution

Quantum chemical simulation of the adsorption of N acetylneuraminic acid (NANA) on the surface of silica with the participation of the fructose molecule by the method of density functional theory B3LYP, 6-31G (d, p) was done. The influence of the solvent was taken into account in the supermolecular and continuum approximations, and a cluster approach was used for the adsorption complexes. NANA adsorption of the hydrated silica surface was considered as a process of replacement of water molecules on the silica surface by adsorbate molecules. Two schemes of influence of fructose molecule on NANA adsorption are considered. According to the first scheme, the hydrated NANA molecule interacts with the hydrated silicon-fructose adsorption complex. According to the second scheme, the cluster of hydrated silica interacts with the hydrated NANA-fructose complex. The energy of intermolecular interaction according to the scheme 1 is -9.2 kJ / mol, which is significantly lower compared to the same value with the participation of glucose or sucrose (-20.5 and -86.2 kJ / mol). Scheme 2 proved to be a thermodynamically unfavorable process, as its energy effect is +6.9 kJ / mol, in contrast to similar processes for glucose (-21.8) and sucrose (-87.7 kJ / mol). This confirms the experimental fact of the interaction of substances in a mixture of NANA with carbohydrates in relation to the interaction with silica in comparison with the interaction of substances with silica separately.

Nanostructured Biosilica of Diatoms: From Water World to Biomedical Applications

Diatoms—unicellular photosynthetic algae—are promising natural sources of nanostructured silica. These microorganisms produce in their membrane approximately a highly ordered porous cell wall called a frustule as protection from environmental stress. Diatom frustules consist of hydrated silica that show peculiar properties including biocompatibility, tailorable surface chemistry, chemical inertness, and thermal stability. Frustules harvested from aquatic ecosystems or diatomaceous fossil sediments represent an excellent cost-effective source of biosilica for a broad range of biomedical applications. The porous ultrastructure of the frustules displays a large surface area available for coating with various biomolecules through different functionalization methods. In this review article, we highlight the main features of diatom biosilica and present some of the most advantageous properties that support the employment of frustules in the field of drug delivery, biosensing, and regenerative medicine. In particular, it is offered an insight into the most common functionalization strategies through which diatom physicochemical properties can be modified and tailored according to the described field of application.