Biocompatibility of porous silicon for biomedical applications

Advanced drug delivery technologies have emerged as an important focus of biomedical research. Despite the design and effectiveness of the technology, the nature of its interactions with surrounding tissues – their biocompatibility – is of utmost importance. Porous silicon (PSi) possesses unique physicochemical properties that are advantageous for biomedical applications. Despite the increase in the prevalence of engineered materials and the large number of studies found in the literature, little is still known about their safety and potential impact on human health. This chapter provides an overview of the aspects of biocompatibility and the assays used to assess the toxicity of PSi-based materials on cells (in vitro) and organs/tissues (in vivo). We summarize the continuing efforts for understanding the factors affecting biocompatibility of PSi-based materials. Several assessment techniques and methods are described and discussed herein.