[Research progress in targeted delivery of inner ear using nanocarriers].

Various inner ear diseases such as sensorineural deafness and Meniere's disease bring about problems such as speech communication disorders and decreased work efficiency, which seriously affect the life quality of patients. Due to the special anatomical structure and blood-labyrinth barrier in the inner ear, the current drug administration methods are often unable to achieve satisfactory results. Nanocarriers are the forefront and hot spot of nanotechnology research. In recent years, a lot of research progress has been made in the field of targeted delivery of the inner ear, which is expected to be eventually applied to the treatment of clinical diseases of the inner ear. This review focuses on the advantages, main research achievements and limitations of various nanocarriers in the targeted delivery of the inner ear, hoping to provide new ideas for related research.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticle-modified electrode arrays of cochlear implants for delivery of siRNA-TGFß1 into the inner ear.

Cochlear implants (CI) are widely used in patients to restore hearing function. Uncontrolled fibrosis in the cochleae induced by excess secretion of TGFß1 seriously affects the effectiveness of CIs. siRNA is a potential therapeutic strategy to downregulate TGFß1 specifically. However, treatment with siRNA in cochleae is difficult due to the poor penetration capability and instability of siRNA and the inaccessibility and vulnerability of cochleae. To address these challenges, we developed amino-functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN-NH2)-modified electrode arrays to deliver siRNA-TGFß1 into the inner ear. The shape, diameter, pore diameter, and zeta potential of MSN-NH2 were investigated. siRNA loading capability and protective effect of MSN-NH2 were determined by agarose gel electrophoresis assay. The cytotoxicity, cellular uptake assay, and TGFß1 knockdown efficiency of MSN-NH2 were studied by CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry, and real-time PCR, respectively. MSN-NH2-siTGFß1 nanoparticles were absorbed into the electrode arrays and worked in the cochleae. MSN-NH2-siTGFß1-modified CI electrode arrays may be an attractive therapeutic clinical intervention strategy to inhibit cochlear implantation fibrosis.