ZEOLITES

Natural zeolites are an extensive family of aluminosilicate, crystalline and hydrated minerals,
which contain a wide range of cations inside them, generally of an alkaline and alkaline earth
nature, and even radical groups and anions, which are part of what are known as cations exchange
(5).

Its internal structure and its structural ordering, own to complex tectosilicates, convert natural
zeolites into open and active systems, with the capacity to interact with the environment, through
incorporation and release of water and cations, without any change in the Zeolites structure.

Figure 1. Diagram of the basic structural unit of a zeolite, showing the arrangement of the oxygen and silicon atoms in
the fundamental tetrahedron, as well as the complex structure formed by the union of several tetrahedrons (Costafreda,
J.L., 2015).

Thanks to their stable and porous structure, they have shown to adapt well to the conditions of
the human organism, rapidly reaching the optimum level of the biophase, and are able to remain
in the body for a time adequate enough for the active ingredient to produce the expected effects
(6). In this way, they represent an active product for the drug industry, where they are
potentially considered as carrier-release elements, although they are also used directly, and
effectively, as active principles. These properties allow the use of these minerals in the treatment
of osteoporosis, in the eradication of diarrhea, in the control of tumors, in the monitoring of
diabetes and in hemodialysis. Other applications can be cited; for example, as bactericides against
pseudomonas aeruginosa, staphylococci, and Escherichia coli; as gastric alkalinizers, regenerators
and builders of the bone system, and as carriers of the active principle known as nitric oxide,
capable of stabilizing blood pressure and, therefore, preventing thrombosis.

Zeolites are among the most important inorganic cation exchangers. The aluminosilicate structure
is negatively charged and attracts cations that come to reside inside the pores and channels.
Zeolites have large empty spaces, or cages, within their structures that can accommodate large
cations, such as Na+, K+, Br+, and Ca2+, and even relatively large molecules and cationic groups,
such as water, ammonia, carbonate ions, and nitrate ions. The basic structure of zeolites is
biologically neutral. The ion-exchange process is reversible, allowing for adsorption of ions and
molecules, making zeolites useful as filters for dust, toxin removal, and as chemical sieves. Zeolites
can have water as part of their structure; after the water has been driven off by heating, the basic
framework structure is left intact. Subsequently, other solutions can be put through the structure,
and thus the zeolite acts as a delivery system for the new fluid. A particular structural feature of
zeolites relative to other aluminosilicate materials, and other crystalline materials in general, is the
existence of channels and/or cavities linked by channels. Zeolites have a great variety of pore sizes
and shapes (1). Properties of zeolites, such as ion exchange, intercrystalline pores that
discriminate between molecules of different dimension, strong acidic sites, and active reservoirs
for metal-catalyzed reactions, have earned them extensive uses. Consequently, fundamental
zeolite research has become an area of great interest (2). The remarkable applicability of zeolites
ranges from uses in biochemistry, the agroindustry, detergents, soil improvements, the nuclear
industry, energy storage, the textile industry (3), ecology, manufacturing, and industrial processes.
Recently, a more specific application of one naturally occurring zeolite material, clinoptilolite, has
been widely studied in veterinary and human medicine. Due to a number of positive effects on
health, including detoxification properties, the usage of clinoptilolite-based products in vivo has
increased enormously.

Since many biochemical processes are closely related to some zeolite

properties (ionexchange, adsorption, and catalysis), we believe that natural
and synthetic zeolites may lead to significant advances in biology,
medicine, and in the pharmaceutical industry in the near future.
 Biomedical effects of zeolites
( K Pavelic´,M Colic´, B Subotic´. In: Studies in Surface Science and Catalysis, Vol. 135. Amsterdam—Elsevier, 2001, p 170).
In agreement with the scientific evidence presented in the literature so far, it can be generally
stated that clinoptilolitebased materials, including the so-called activated materials, may be
regarded as safe for in vivo consumption. A variety of highly positive effects on animal and human
health were documented thus far for clinoptilolite-based materials. However, the observed
positive systemic mechanisms are still not completely understood.

We hypothesize that they may be at least partially attributed to the restoration of the human
homeostasis due to local detoxification properties within the intestine, the release of dissolved
silica forms from the clinoptilolite tuff that enter from the intestine into the blood, as well as to
clinoptilolite’s immunomodulatory effects. The observed local immunomodulatory effects of
clinoptilolite involve the induction of immune responses through Peyer’s patches and/or possible
positive effects on microbial intestinal populations through still unknown mechanisms.

REFERENCES

1. RM Barrer. Zeolites and clay minerals as sorbents and molecular sieves. London: Academic
Press, 1978, p 23.

2. EM Flanigen. In: LVC Rees, ed. Proceedings of Fifth International Conference on Zeolites.
London: Hezden. 1980, p 760.

3. FA Mumpton. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 96:3463–3471, 1999.

4. S Sandra Kraljevic Paveli, et al. Critical Review on Zeolite Clinoptilolite Safety and Medical
Applications in vivo. Frontiers in Pharmacology : 27 Nov 2018, Volume 9 | Article 1350.

5. S Auerbach, K Carrado & P Dutta. Handbook of Zeolite Science And Technology. New York:
Marcel Dekker, Inc. 2003, p 9, 10.

6. Carretero MI, Pozo M. Mineralogía Aplicada. Madrid: Thomson. 2007, p 406.