Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) as carrier of antimony aimed for improving leishmaniasis chemotherapy

• Assays showed that LDH is useful as nanocarrier for intracellular parasitic diseases.
• A binary system Sb-LDH was produced in a low cost and simple process for scaling-up.
• The binary system can be a promising alternative for chemoterapy of leishmaniasis.

A leishmanicidal drug, antimony potassium tartrate, was used to produce a binary system of SbIII with an inorganic nanocarrier Mg, Al layered double hydroxide via ion exchange. X-ray powder diffraction and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry showed that the intercalated/exfoliated anion was the antimony trioxide. Binary systems were also successfully characterized by Raman and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and scanning transmission electron microscopy. These materials can be an important alternative for leishmaniasis chemotherapy. In addition to the low cost and easily laboratorial synthesis, clay has no cytotoxicity and its uptake by macrophages, amastigotes reservoir leads to a vectorization of antimony and a reduction in its side effects.

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