Sepiolite based materials for storage and slow release of nitric oxide

Abstract

Nitric oxide (NO) is a small endogenous molecule that has important regulatory roles both in physiology and in pathology. Because of this multiplicity of roles, the level of NO concentration or, more precisely, the control of its concentration, is crucial to avoid adverse effects including toxicity. Nanoporous materials have emerged as potential carriers for NO delivery. In this work nanoporous materials were prepared from clay based solids, having as main goal the study of their potentialities in the field of storage and release of nitric oxide for therapeutic applications. Prepared materials were pillared interlayered clays (PILCs), obtained from natural sepiolite clay. Materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction and nitrogen adsorption at −196 °C. The kinetic data for the nitric oxide storage and release, in selected materials, were obtained in gas and liquid phases. Toxicological assays with HeLa cells have also been done to determine material cytotoxicity. Some of the materials prepared in this work are able to store an amount of NO with biological significance, show slow release kinetics and have low cytotoxicity.