Exploring the cellular uptake of hectorite clay mineral and its drug carrier capabilities

Thixotropic Hydrogels Based on Laponite® and Cucurbituril for Delivery of Lipophilic Drug Molecules

“…[12] Lap can interact with several species in different manner according to their nature (ion exchange, hydrogen bonding, van der Waals forces, protonation and ligand exchange at the edges of the crystal and so on). [13] Cucurbiturils (CBs) are cyclic oligomers of glycoluril units joined by methylene bridges (6, 7 and 8 that corresponding to CB [6], CB [7], CB [8], respectively) with the characteristic pumpkin-like shape. [14] Similarly to cyclodextrins, they exhibit hostguest chemistry because of their hydrophobic cavity and carbonyl groups on both rim (Figure 1b).…”

“…[14] Similarly to cyclodextrins, they exhibit hostguest chemistry because of their hydrophobic cavity and carbonyl groups on both rim (Figure 1b). [15] Depending on the number of glycoluril units, the CBs show different solubility in water; [16] in particular CB [6] possess a lower aqueous solubility (0.018 mM) [17] than CB[7] (20-30 mM) [18] (the most used one) but in comparison to the latter is cheaper (~100 €/g and 300 €/ 100 mg for CB [6] and CB [7], respectively) and easily synthetized. [19] In the recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the use of CBs as macrocyclic hosts for applications in medicinal chemistry and chemical biology, since their cavity provides a hydrophobic void for the inclusion of hydrophobic molecules and carbonyl groups that can coordinate ions or charged species.…”

“…Furthermore, it is sparsely soluble in water (0 .15 mM) and this aspect further limits its effective introduction in pharmaceutical market. [24] Herein we report the synthesis and characterization of supramolecular hydrogels based on the combination of Lap and CB [6] as carrier for FFA molecules, chosen as model of lipophilic molecule, for potential future treatment of skin disorders.…”

“…Firstly, the interaction between CB [6] and CB[7] and FFA was studied by UV-vis measurements and theoretical calculations. Then, CB [6]/FFA complex was used as filler for Lap hydrogels (Lap/CB [6]/FFA).…”

Antimicrobial Nanomaterials Based on Halloysite Clay Mineral: Research Advances and Outlook

“…In this context, clay minerals, a class of nanomaterials, are considered a “godsend” for human beings because they are easily available, possess very low cost, are environmentally friendly, biocompatible, and capable of crossing cellular membranes [ 5 ].…”