ABSTRACT
The empty lumen of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) enables them to have a high loading and protection ability for small molecules such as, proteins, DNA, drugs, anticorrosive agents etc. Furthermore, HNTs are nontoxic and have little effect on the adhesion, growth, and differentiation of cells (Vergaro et al., 2010). Also, they are environmentally friendly materials. These characters make HNTs ideal candidate as components of biomaterials especially as carriers for drug controlled release. The drugs released from the HNTs can last 30~100 times longer than those from the drugs themselves or other carriers. Coating of biocompatible polymers on the drugloaded HNTs surfaces can enhance the biocompatibility of the tubes and further retard the rate of drug release (Lvov and Abdullayev, 2013). Various drugs can be bonded on the inner or outer surface of HNTs via physical or chemical interactions. Drug loaded HNTs-polymer nanocomposites can be presented as a formulation of powders, suspensions, bulk materials, and fibrious scaffolds, which have many potential applications in tissue engineering, wound dressing, and drug/DNA delivery systems.
