Histamine-binding capacities of different natural zeolites: a comparative study

Abstract

Two different natural zeolites from Cuba and Mexico, which are already being used as contemporaneous drugs or dietary supplements in Germany and Mexico, respectively, are applied in a comparative study of their histamine-binding capacities as a function of their particle sizes. The zeolites are characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and N-sorption measurements (BET surface areas). The Cuban zeolite contains clinoptilolite and mordenite as major phases (78% zeolite), whereas the Mexican one contains only clinoptilolite (65% zeolite). Both zeolites are apparently free from fibrous materials according to SEM. Both zeolites adsorb significant amount of histamine under the experimental conditions. Nevertheless, the results showed that the histamine-binding capacity of the Cuban zeolite is higher than the Mexican one and the smaller the particle size of zeolite, the higher the histamine-binding capacity. This difference could be due to the variation in their mineralogical compositions resulting in varied BET surface areas. Thus, the high histamine-binding capacities of Cuban zeolites seem to be due at least partly to the presence of the large-pore zeolite mordenite, providing high total pore volumes, which will be discussed in detail. For the first time, we have shown that the mineralogical compositions of natural zeolites and their particle sizes play a key role in binding histamine, which is one of the most important regulators in human physiology.

Antibacterial activity of Zn-loaded Cuban zeolite against Helicobacter pylori in comparison to its Na-loaded and unmodified counterparts

“…Clinoptilolite is the most abundant phase, followed by mordenite, and the two zeolites constitute 68.2 ± 5.5% by weight of the material. The amounts of clinoptilolite and mordenite determined in this sample are similar to those reported earlier by Selvam et al ( 2014 , 2018 ) obtained through a semi-quantitative analysis of the same material. Feldspars, chlorite, tridymite, and smectite represent minor components, whereas the amount of amorphous fraction, constituted by volcanic glass, is significant (Table 1 ); the comparison between observed and calculated X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns is reported in Electronic Supplementary Material.…”

“…Based on the above considerations, the present work investigates the effects on H. pylori growth of a zeolite-bearing Cuban material, which has been evaluated in its natural form, as well as in its Na- and Zn-exchanged counterparts. The material used for this research is mainly composed of two zeolites, clinoptilolite and mordenite, is known for its high adsorption capacity for histamine (Selvam et al 2014 , 2018 ), and is already used as medical device in various oral and topical applications (Langbein et al 2019 ; Torres et al 2019 ; Dathe 2020 ).…”

Characterization and Hemostatic Potential of Two Kaolins from Southern China

“…For some inorganic minerals, such as zeolite, it was reported that the larger external clay BET surface area and pore volume might speed up the blood coagulation, because of its correspondingly increased water absorption, which concentrated the blood and accelerated the coagulation [12,14,40]. Zeolites exhibit high BET surface areas (98–119 m 2 /g) and high total pore volumes (0.19–0.220 cm 3 /g) [41], which in turn can rapidly absorb water at the site of bleeding in a nonchemical reaction, effectively concentrating the platelets and clotting factors to promote coagulation [12]. These results further confirmed that the main hemostatic mechanism of kaolinite does not rely on water absorption to concentrate blood, which is different from zeolite [11].…”

Efficacy of Detoxsan®powder on diarrhea caused by gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors

“…Whether the serotonin level decrease in 6 patients is based on the adsorption of serotonin by the zeolite – similar to the histamine uptake – or the decline of the chemically-labile serotonin is caused by other mechanisms is still the subject of ongoing investigations[18,19]. Nevertheless, these 6 patients were part of the satisfied ones with respect to the bowel movements (Table 2) corresponding to correlation of serotonin level and diarrhea[3-5].…”

“…This kind of treatment differs significantly from all other drugs in the field because Detoxsan ® powder acts only via its inherent adsorption properties within the gastrointestinal tract; neither does it penetrate into the blood circulation nor directly influence regulation processes. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that the histamine uptake of the Cuban zeolite (and possibly of other biogenic amines) is significantly higher compared to other zeolites containing only clinoptilolite and no additional mordenite[19]. The clinical treatment of patients with NETs with regard to their functional complaints is recently focused to the application of somatostatin receptor inhibitors[36].…”