Application of Halloysite Nanotubes in Cancer Therapy—A Review

Abstract

Halloysite, a nanoclay characterized by a unique, tubular structure, with oppositely charged interior and exterior, suitable, nanometric-range size, high biocompatibility, and low cost, is recently gaining more and more interest as an important and versatile component of various biomaterials and delivery systems of biomedical relevance. One of the most recent, significant, and intensely studied fields in which halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) found diverse applications is cancer therapy. Even though this particular direction is mentioned in several more general reviews, it has never so far been discussed in detail. In our review, we offer an extended survey of the literature on that particular aspect of the biomedical application of HNTs. While historical perspective is also given, our paper is focused on the most recent developments in this field, including controlled delivery and release of anticancer agents and nucleic acids by HNT-based systems, targeting cancer cells using HNT as a carrier, and the capture and analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) with nanostructured or magnetic HNT surfaces. The overview of the most up-to-date knowledge on the HNT interactions with cancer cells is also given.

Nanoclays in medicine: a new frontier of an ancient medical practice

“…133,134 HNT functionalization by grafting silane coupling agents such as 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) or 3-Glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS) is majorly used to modify HNTs for potential drug delivery systems. 7 A study reported that silane-modified HNTs with organosilane -APTES or GPTMS displayed a much higher drug loading capacity than unmodified HNTs. 135 Recently, APTES modified HNTs have also been reported as a delivery agent for an antisense gene, oligodeoxynucleotides (ASODNs), targeting the survivin protein to regulate tumor growth.…”

“…There are also several excellent recent reviews of various types of clays in biomedical applications. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] The role of silicates and nanoclays, in particular on cellular response, is an important area of research. Previous studies show that nanoclays exhibit an ability to mediate human mesenchymal stem cell differentiation without the use of differentiating media.…”

“…There are also several excellent recent reviews of various types of clays in biomedical applications. 4–15…”

Synergies in antimicrobial treatment by a levofloxacin-loaded halloysite and gold nanoparticles with a conjugation to a cell-penetrating peptide

“…In fact, this trait is considered as a positive physiological feature that significantly affects the total therapeutic properties of the medicinal cargo. To enhance this feature, the surface of the HNTs can be modified by the chemical structures and further functionalized with the active biological ingredients such as antibodies, 23 aptamers, 46 folic acid, 47 and peptides. 48 Actually, it has been revealed that the presence of these active components onto the surfaces can effectively enhance the cell attachment and further internalization of the cargo into the cells.…”

HNT-Cellulose based Nano-Composite and Applications

“…al. worked on the alginate-based hydrogels for drug delivery systems [35]. The surface of the HNT was functionalized with selfpolymerized dopamine and incorporated into alginate hydrogels.…”