Synthesis and Characterization of β-Cyclodextrin-Hybridized Exfoliated Kaolinite Single Nanosheets as Potential Carriers of Oxaliplatin with Enhanced Loading, Release, and Cytotoxic Properties

Natural kaolinite was subjected to a successful exfoliation process into separated kaolinite nanosheets (KNs), followed by hybridization with β-cyclodextrin biopolymer (β-CD), forming an advanced bio-nanocomposite (β-CD/KNs). The synthetic products were evaluated as enhanced delivery structures for oxaliplatin chemotherapy (OXAPN). The hybridization of KNs with β-CD polymer notably enhanced the loading capacity to 355.3 mg/g (β-CD/KNs) as compared to 304.9 mg/g for KNs. The loading of OXAPN into both KNs and β-CD/KNs displayed traditional pseudo-first-order kinetics (R2 > 0.85) and a conventional Langmuir isotherm (R2 = 0.99). The synthetic β-CD/KNs validates a greater occupied effective site density (98.7 mg/g) than KNs (66.3 mg/g). Furthermore, the values of the n steric parameter (4.7 (KNs) and 3.6 (β-CD/KNs)) reveal the vertical orientation of the loaded molecules and the loading of them by multi-molecular mechanisms. These mechanisms are mainly physical processes based on the obtained Gaussian energy (<8 KJ/mol) and loading energy (<40 KJ/mol). The release profiles of both KNs and β-CD/KNs extend for about 120 h, with remarkably faster rates for β-CD/KNs. According to the release kinetic findings, the release of OXAPN displays non-Fickian transport behavior involving the cooperation of diffusion and erosion mechanisms. The KNs and β-CD/KNs as free particles showed considerable cytotoxicity and anticancer properties against HCT-116 cancer cell lines (71.4% cell viability (KNs) and 58.83% cell viability (β-CD/KNs)). Additionally, both KNs and β-CD/KNs significantly enhanced the OXAPN’s cytotoxicity (2.04% cell viability (OXAPN/KNs) and 0.86% cell viability (OXAPN/β-CD/KNs).