CLAY COMPOSITE HYDROGEL FOR MODIFIED DRUG DELIVERY: A REVIEW

Clay minerals are used in many pharmaceutical formulations (US-FDA declared as excipients). The necessity for safe, inexpensive and compatible drug delivery system led to the synthesis new material known as clay composite hydrogels. The clay minerals had a considerable effect in the properties of the hydrogels. Many clay mineral forms like montmorillonite, attapulgite, layered double hydroxide, saponite etc., are used in composite hydrogels. In recent years, the research on the clay composite has been increased due to improvement in mechanical properties, swelling kinetics, biocompatibility, and controlled release of drugs, proteins etc. Different systems (nanoparticles, microparticles, beads, films, matrices etc.) of clay composites were synthesized with variations in the amount of clay in the systems. This review contains the detailed study of the clay composite hydrogel materials, preparation methods, characterization and evaluation. Key Words: Clay minerals, clay composite hydrogels, controlled release.