A deep delve into the chemistry and biocompatibility of halloysite nanotubes: A new perspective on an idiosyncratic nanocarrier for delivering drugs and biologics

HNTs have garnered a substantial amount of scientific interest over the years owing to its green nature, unique surface chemistry and the ability to load any guest molecule. These nanostructures are biocompatible and are thus perfect nanocarriers for the delivery of drugs and therapeutic biologics. However, in order to fully achieve its potential as a nanocarrier, several nuances to its surface chemistry and release kinetics must be kept in mind. Factors like the choice of compound for functionalization of HNTs and the microenvironmental pH of the targeted area are obvious yet intricate and crucial to ensure optimum therapeutic effect with minimized side effect profile. This article comprehensively reviews the safety profile of pristine and modified HNTs across different cell lines and model organisms. Furthermore, we also aim to provide an insight into the unique chemistry involved between drugs or biomolecules and the functional moieties on the surface of HNTs, which evidently alters the release rate of these guest molecules. Lastly, this focused review on drug delivery aims at providing critical comments and highlighting unexplored avenues in the current progress of research.

Automated summary

This article comprehensively reviews the potential and issues of HNTs as drug carriers, and discusses their safety across different cell lines and model organisms. Furthermore, it provides insights into the impact of HNTs' surface chemistry and release kinetics on therapeutic efficacy, as well as unexplored areas in current research.