Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
Volume 23, Issue 19, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911518
Keywords
halloysite nanotubes; biocompatibility; drug delivery system; biomedical application
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Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are natural clay minerals with a unique tubular morphology, which have high biocompatibility and can be used as drug carriers and delivery systems.
The use of synthetic materials and the attention towards environmental hazards and toxicity impose the development of green composites with natural origins. Clay is one of the candidates for this approach. Halloysite is a natural clay mineral, a member of the Kaolin group, with characteristic tubular morphology, usually named halloysite nanotubes (HNTs). The different surface chemistry of halloysite allows the selective modification of both the external surface and the inner lumen by supramolecular or covalent interactions. An interesting aspect of HNTs is related to the possibility of introducing different species that can be released more slowly compared to the pristine compound. Due to their unique hollow morphology and large cavity, HNTs can be employed as an optimal natural nanocarrier. This review discusses the structure, properties, and application of HNTs in the biological field, highlighting their high biocompatibility, and analyse the opportunity to use new HNT hybrids as drug carriers and delivery systems.
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