27 - Montmorillonite clay nanocomposites for drug delivery

Abstract

The montmorillonite (MT) clay is recently a current topic to study its utilization as additive and drug carrier material at the research level. Bentonite is a major part of MT which has already been approved as an excipient. These nano clay composites appeal their use in various dosing form, mainly for controlled release of the drug. MT clay has the special features that make it efficient for the loading of drug and its release. There have been a number of research works that report the controlled drug release and targeted drug release through MT clay in drug delivery. Apart from drug release montmorillonite has also been used as a carrier for delivery of macromolecules (proteins, DNA, nucleotide) that can enter into the interlayer space up to a certain extent while processing. Modification of clay leads to the intercalation of organophilic materials into the interlayer space of the clay which helps to weaken the interaction of interlayer of the clay that enhances the interlayer gap and upgrades the compatibility of clay with the polymer. These bionanocomposites acquire several qualities such as dimensional stability, mechanical strength, better surface area, low density, etc.