Layered Silicates as a Possible Drug Carrier.

The potential of layered silicates as drug carrier is overviewed. Due to their large surface area and expandable interlayer space to accommodate drug molecules, layered silicates have a potential as carrier of various molecules. In addition to the electrostatic interactions between negatively charged layered silicates and positively charged drug molecules, the organic modification of the surface of layered silicates has been applied to accommodate a variety of drug molecules not only cationic ones. The in vitro release experiment of the accommodated drug molecules has been reported under the acidic conditions. In order to discuss the future direction of layered silicates as drug carrier, materials' variation of layered silicates and their modification, and the reported stimuli-responsive hybrids based on layered silicates were introduced.