Biocompatible clay materials have attracted particular attention as the efficient drug delivery systems (DDS). In this article, we review developments in the use of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) for controlled drug release and delivery. We show how advances in the ability to synthesize intercalated structures have a significant influence on the development of new applications of these materials. We also show how modification and/or functionalization can lead to new biotechnological and biomedical applications. This review highlights the most recent progresses in research on LDH-based controlled drug delivery systems, focusing mainly on: (i) DDS with cardiovascular drugs as guests; (ii) DDS with anti-inflammatory drugs as guests; and (iii) DDS with anti-cancer drugs as guests. Finally, future prospects for LDH-based drug carriers are also discussed.

No abstract

Novel hierarchical core@shell structured salicylate (SA) intercalated ZnAl-LDH (layered double hydroxides) magnetic nanovehicles were obtained via a special double-drop coprecipitation strategy assembling organo-ZnAl-LDH nanocrystals onto the surface of Fe3O4 submicrospheres (∼480 nm) from cheap aspirin and Zn- and Al-nitrates in alkaline solutions. The obtained Fe3O4@SA-LDH-r nanovehicles exhibit varied morphologies with hexagonal LDH ab-face horizontal, vertical, and vertical/slant/horizontal to the surfaces of Fe3O4 upon proper mass ratio (r) of Zn-salt to Fe3O4 from 1.93 to 7.71 in a low supersaturation system and possess moderate drug loadings and strong superparamagnetism. An in vitro release study reveals that under "no MF" mode (without external magnetic field) the SA release exhibits the higher accumulated release amount and smaller half-life (t0.5) for Fe3O4@SA-LDH-3.85 (41.2%, 1.63 min) and Fe3O4@SA-LDH-7.71 (51.1%, 1.66 min) probably owing to their mainly vertical LDH orientations, while the dramatically reduced SA release (10.0%) and greatly elongated t0.5 (25.6 min) for Fe3O4@SA-LDH-1.93 may be due to its relatively stronger host-guest interaction and compact horizontally oriented LDH shell stack. Under "MF on" mode, all the magnetic samples show a detectable reduced SA release owing to the particle-particle interactions among the magnetic nanovehicles. The kinetic fittings show that the release processes of all the samples involve the bulk and surface diffusion. The SA release from Fe3O4@SA-LDH-1.93 is mainly determined by the interparticle diffusion among the horizontally oriented LDH shell nanocrystals while those of Fe3O4@SA-LDH-3.85 and Fe3O4@SA-LDH-7.71 mainly involve the interlayer intraparticle diffusion between LDHs layers due to their largely vertical LDH shell nanocrystals.

No abstract

Schwertmannite is a typical iron-derived mineral, which was originally discovered in acid mine drainings and subsequently synthesized in the laboratory.