Layered Clay Minerals in Cancer Therapy: Recent Progress and Prospects

Abstract

Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases, and current treatment regimens suffer from limited efficacy, nonspecific toxicity, and chemoresistance. With the advantages of good biocompatibility, large specific surface area, excellent cation exchange capacity, and easy availability, clay minerals have been receiving ever‐increasing interests in cancer treatment. They can act as carriers to reduce the toxic side effects of chemotherapeutic drugs, and some of their own properties can kill cancer cells, etc. Compared with other morphologies clays, layered clay minerals (LCM) have attracted more and more attention due to adjustable interlayer spacing, easier ion exchange, and stronger adsorption capacity. In this review, the structure, classification, physicochemical properties, and functionalization methods of LCM are summarized. The state‐of‐the‐art progress of LCM in antitumor therapy is systematically described, with emphasis on the application of montmorillonite, kaolinite, and vermiculite. Furthermore, the property–function relationships of LCM are comprehensively illustrated to reveal the design principles of clay‐based antitumor systems. Finally, foreseeable challenges and outlook in this field are discussed.

Soil intake modifies the gut microbiota and alleviates Th2-type immune response in an ovalbumin-induced asthma mouse model

“…Some clay minerals, such as kaolinite, montmorillonite, and vermiculite, have SiO 2 and Al 2 O 3 as their main components. 53 These clay minerals have a large specific surface area and cation exchange capacity per unit mass, so they can adsorb microbial cells and obtain nutrients (e.g., polysaccharides secreted by microorganisms) to interact with soil microorganisms to affect their growth and function and support biofilm formation, 47 which is key to improving bacterial species colonization. Oral administration of montmorillonite can help probiotics, especially lactic acid bacteria (LABs), form biofilms on their surface and further promote the growth of LABs to enhance anti-tumor responses.…”

Silicon-containing nanomedicine and biomaterials: materials chemistry, multi-dimensional design, and biomedical application

“…408 The introduction of naturally substituted cations, such as Mg, K, Na, Ca, and Fe, imparts favorable charge characteristics, which can be harnessed for interactions with drugs, making them appealing candidates for drug delivery applications. 409,410…”