Silatranes and Their Biological Applications
Summary
Silatranes are organosilicon compounds characterised by a tricyclic cage-like framework in which a silicon atom engages in an intramolecular coordination with a nitrogen donor, yielding a pentacoordinate centre. This transannular N→Si bond confers exceptional stability, controlled hydrolysis and unique surface activity. Such properties have underpinned diverse biological applications: antimicrobial coatings that inhibit biofilm formation, mucoadhesive drug‐delivery platforms, and cytotoxic agents bearing tailored pharmacophores. Beyond medicine, silatrane derivatives serve as plant growth biostimulants and selective enzyme inhibitors, demonstrating utility in agriculture and biotechnology. Their modular structure permits functionalisation via aza‐Michael additions or transesterification, enabling fine‐tuning of solubility, bioavailability and target specificity. Collectively, silatranes bridge synthetic chemistry, materials science and life‐science research, offering a versatile toolkit for the development of novel bioactive materials.
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Silatranes and Their Biological Applications publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in silatranes and their biological applications across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Silatrane: A tricyclic organosilicon compound featuring a pentacoordinate silicon atom intramolecularly bonded to nitrogen, forming a cage structure.
Transannular bond: An internal coordination bond crossing a molecular ring, here denoting the N→Si interaction that stabilises the silatrane framework.
Aza-Michael reaction: A nucleophilic addition of an amine to an activated alkene, commonly used to functionalise silatrane derivatives.
Amphiphilic polymer: A macromolecule containing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments, enabling self-assembly into micelles or emulsions.
References
- New Functional Alkoxysilanes and Silatranes: Synthesis, Structure, Properties, and Possible Applications. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2023).
- Chemical Attachment of 5-Nitrosalicylaldimine Motif to Silatrane Resulting in an Organic–Inorganic Structure with High Medicinal Significance. Pharmaceutics (2022).
- New 3-Aminopropylsilatrane Derivatives: Synthesis, Structure, Properties, and Biological Activity. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2023).
- Biodegradable and Biocompatible Silatrane Polymers. Molecules (2021).
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