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Clay-Based Biomaterials: From Synthesis to Applications
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Clay-Based Biomaterials: From Synthesis to Applications

A special issue of Journal of Functional Biomaterials (ISSN 2079-4983).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2018) | Viewed by 32572

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Serena Riela

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Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, University of Catania, Via Andrea Doria, 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
Interests: organic chemistry; synthesis; drug delivery; coniugates; hallosyte nanotubes; carrier systems; nanomaterials; biocompatible materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Marina Massaro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: clay minerals; halloysite; drug carrier; chemical modification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

Clay minerals have been used in medicine since ancient times due to their large availability and their unique properties. Chemicals can be efficiently loaded into clay minerals to modify the rate, time and target of molecule release. Moreover, this strategy can be used, for example, to protect drugs against aging due to chemical and enzymatic degradation. A new concept of “excipient” is applied to clay minerals, since they are not inert fillers but instead can provide functionalities including targeted release, prevention or reduction of side effects, and increase of product shelf-life.

Chemical modification of clay surfaces is a strategy to tune the clay’s properties. Specifically, it generates a nanoarchitecture with tunable properties for application in the biomedical fields. Currently, only one limitation is associated to the use of clay minerals—due to their inorganic nature, the route of administration is somehow limited and intravenous injection is not yet considered safe. For this reason, the use of clay is limited to the development of creams and implants that require a slow release of the loaded drugs for external medical treatment. Alternatively, they can be used as fillers for oral formulation composites, since there is no systemic absorption.

This Special Issue is focused on current research on clay-based biomaterials from the state-of-the-art to the most recent advancements, with a special focus on the design of ad hoc composites and their applications in biomedical, bioremediation and food packaging fields. Applications range from drug carrier and delivery issues to bone therapy, gene delivery, tissue regeneration and so on. Original contributions addressing the synthesis and characterization of clay hybrids and related mechanisms involved in adsorption and release of active molecules, as well as practical clinical or environmental applications, in the form of full papers or communications are all welcome. Mini-reviews presenting an overview of the state-of-the-art with projections on future perspectives and trends in this domain will also be considered.

Dr. Serena Riela
Dr. Marina Massaro
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Functional Biomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • clay minerals 
  • biomaterials 
  • organic/inorganic hybrid 
  • drug carriers
  • food packaging 
  • bioremediation

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 1618 KiB  
Communication
Organo-Clay Nanomaterials Based on Halloysite and Cyclodextrin as Carriers for Polyphenolic Compounds
by Marina Massaro and Serena Riela
J. Funct. Biomater. 2018, 9(4), 61; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb9040061 - 3 Nov 2018
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 6110
Abstract
Hybrid material based on halloysite covalently linked to a hyper-reticulated cyclodextrin network was investigated as a potential carrier for polyphenolic compounds. The absorption ability of the hybrid system was studied in different pH conditions as well as the kinetic release of curcumin, chosen [...] Read more.
Hybrid material based on halloysite covalently linked to a hyper-reticulated cyclodextrin network was investigated as a potential carrier for polyphenolic compounds. The absorption ability of the hybrid system was studied in different pH conditions as well as the kinetic release of curcumin, chosen as a drug model. A preliminary study was performed to assess the antioxidant capacity of the obtained carrier. The obtained results highlighted that the curcumin molecule can have sustained release from the carrier over the time, retaining its antioxidant properties due to the combination of two different host systems that give rise to an hyper-reticulated structure, allowing an increase in the drug loading and stabilization. Therefore, this work puts forward an efficient strategy to prepare organic-inorganic hybrids with three different cavities that could encapsulate two or more drug molecules with different physico-chemical properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clay-Based Biomaterials: From Synthesis to Applications)
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7 pages, 665 KiB  
Communication
Filling of Mater-Bi with Nanoclays to Enhance the Biofilm Rigidity
by Giuseppe Cavallaro, Giuseppe Lazzara, Lorenzo Lisuzzo, Stefana Milioto and Filippo Parisi
J. Funct. Biomater. 2018, 9(4), 60; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb9040060 - 21 Oct 2018
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 6431
Abstract
We investigated the efficacy of several nanoclays (halloysite, sepiolite and laponite) as nanofillers for Mater-Bi, which is a commercial bioplastic extensively used within food packaging applications. The preparation of Mater-Bi/nanoclay nanocomposite films was easily achieved by means of the solvent casting method from [...] Read more.
We investigated the efficacy of several nanoclays (halloysite, sepiolite and laponite) as nanofillers for Mater-Bi, which is a commercial bioplastic extensively used within food packaging applications. The preparation of Mater-Bi/nanoclay nanocomposite films was easily achieved by means of the solvent casting method from dichloroethane. The prepared bio-nanocomposites were characterized by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) in order to explore the effect of the addition of the nanoclays on the mechanical behavior of the Mater-Bi-based films. Tensile tests found that filling Mater-Bi with halloysite induced the most significant improvement of the mechanical performances under traction force, while DMA measurements under the oscillatory regime showed that the polymer glass transition was not affected by the addition of the nanoclay. The tensile properties of the Mater-Bi/halloysite nanotube (HNT) films were competitive compared to those of traditional petroleum plastics in terms of the elastic modulus and stress at the breaking point. Both the mechanical response to the temperature and the tensile properties make the bio-nanocomposites appropriate for food packaging and smart coating purposes. Here, we report a preliminary study of the development of sustainable hybrid materials that could be employed in numerous industrial and technological applications within materials science and pharmaceutics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clay-Based Biomaterials: From Synthesis to Applications)
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13 pages, 3100 KiB  
Article
Formulation and Evaluation of Silymarin-Loaded Chitosan-Montmorilloite Microbeads for the Potential Treatment of Gastric Ulcers
by Ameya Sharma, Vivek Puri, Vandita Kakkar and Inderbir Singh
J. Funct. Biomater. 2018, 9(3), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb9030052 - 10 Sep 2018
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 6278
Abstract
Silymarin-loaded mucoadhesive microbeads of Chitosan-MMT were developed using the ionotropic gelation technique. Characterization of the microbeads was performed by DSC, XRD, SEM, and FTIR techniques. In vitro mucoadhesion and drug release studies; gastroprotective studies including the measurement of ulcerative index; the determination of [...] Read more.
Silymarin-loaded mucoadhesive microbeads of Chitosan-MMT were developed using the ionotropic gelation technique. Characterization of the microbeads was performed by DSC, XRD, SEM, and FTIR techniques. In vitro mucoadhesion and drug release studies; gastroprotective studies including the measurement of ulcerative index; the determination of gastric wall mucus; and the determination of percentage protection, biochemical, and histopathological studies were also performed. Microbeads batches were evaluated for particle size (120–140 µm), actual drug content, (49.36–58.18%) and entrapment efficiency (72.52–92.39%).Biochemical estimation of myeloperoxidase was found to be 0.10–0.75 µmoles/g/tissue. Significant reduction in the ulcerative index showed the gastroprotective effect of the formulation. Silymarin-loaded beads of Chitosan-MMT were found to exhibit good mucoadhesion and efficient release of the drug, and were found to be a promising drug carrier system for the treatment of gastric ulcers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clay-Based Biomaterials: From Synthesis to Applications)
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Review

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22 pages, 3839 KiB  
Review
The Use of Some Clay Minerals as Natural Resources for Drug Carrier Applications
by Marina Massaro, Carmelo Giuseppe Colletti, Giuseppe Lazzara and Serena Riela
J. Funct. Biomater. 2018, 9(4), 58; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb9040058 - 19 Oct 2018
Cited by 110 | Viewed by 12968
Abstract
The goal of modern research is to use environmentally preferable materials. In this context, clay minerals are emerging candidates for their bio- and ecocompatibility, low cost and natural availability. Clay minerals present different morphologies according to their layer arrangements. The use of clay [...] Read more.
The goal of modern research is to use environmentally preferable materials. In this context, clay minerals are emerging candidates for their bio- and ecocompatibility, low cost and natural availability. Clay minerals present different morphologies according to their layer arrangements. The use of clay minerals, especially in biomedical applications is known from ancient times and they are regaining attention in recent years. The most representative clay minerals are kaolinit, montmorillonite, sepiolites and halloysite. This review summarizes some clay minerals and their derivatives for application as nanocontainer for biologically active species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clay-Based Biomaterials: From Synthesis to Applications)
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