Zeolites as Ingredients of Medicinal Products

Abstract

Development of new medicinal products for particular therapeutic treatment or for better manipulations with better quality and less side effects are possible as a result of advanced inorganic and organic materials application, among which zeolites, due to their properties and versatility, have been gaining attention. This paper is an overview of the development in the use of zeolite materials and their composites and modifications as medicinal products for several purposes such as active agents, carriers, for topical treatments, oral formulations, anticancer, the composition of theragnostic systems, vaccines, parenteral dosage forms, tissue engineering, etc. The objective of this review is to explore the main properties of zeolites and associate them with their drug interaction, mainly addressing the advances and studies related to the use of zeolites for different types of treatments due to their zeolite characteristics such as molecule storage capacity, physical and chemical stability, cation exchange capacity, and possibility of functionalization. The use of computational tools to predict the drug—zeolite interaction is also explored. As conclusion was possible to realize the possibilities and versatility of zeolite applications as being able to act in several aspects of medicinal products.

An Innovative Approach to a Potential Neuroprotective Sideritis scardica-Clinoptilolite Phyto-Nanocarrier: In Vitro Investigation and Evaluation

“…According to the data, and given that lower IC 50 values correspond to higher antioxidant activity, the SZ phyto-nanocarrier exhibits a slight increase (up to 7.2%) compared to the ironwort sample, might be due to the biomolecules loaded in clinoptilolite pores, which is in good agreement with the literature [11][12][13][14].…”

“…The results of the TPCs assay obtained for the new phyto-nanocarrier and its components are presented in Table 5 and Figure 11A. According to the obtained data, a slight increase (about 4.65%) of total polyphenolic content of the SZ phyto-nanocarrier than the ironwort sample, indicating a synergistic action of clinoptilolite [11][12][13][14]. According to the obtained data, a slight increase (about 4.65%) of total polyphenolic content of the SZ phyto-nanocarrier than the ironwort sample, indicating a synergistic action of clinoptilolite [11][12][13][14].…”

“…Due to their extraordinary morpho-structural properties, clinoptilolite has proven to be a highly versatile material with numerous potential applications across various fields, including agriculture, industry, catalysts, environmental protection, and biomedicine. Studies have also shown that this mineral can have several beneficial effects on human health, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, antitumoral immunomodulating agent, and protecting against neurodegenerative diseases [11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. Recent research has demonstrated their efficacy in various medical applications (biosensors, diagnosis, drug delivery systems, bone tissue engineering, detoxification, dental treatments, and more) [11][12][13][14][15][16][17].…”

“…Studies have also shown that this mineral can have several beneficial effects on human health, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, antitumoral immunomodulating agent, and protecting against neurodegenerative diseases [11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. Recent research has demonstrated their efficacy in various medical applications (biosensors, diagnosis, drug delivery systems, bone tissue engineering, detoxification, dental treatments, and more) [11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. Although clinoptilolite's possible side effects were controversial issues concerning therapeutic uses, the latest research reported that micronized eliminates these shortcomings and increases the efficiency of biomedical applications [12,13].…”