Vera R.L. Constantino, Vanessa R.R. Cunha, Michele A. Rocha, Mariana P. Figueiredo, Vagner R. Magri, Denise Eulálio, Gustavo F. Perotti, Marcos A. Bizeto, Willian F. Zambuzzi, Ivan H.J. Koh, Layered double hydroxides: characterization, therapeutic activities and biocompatibility.In: Progress in Layered Double Hydroxides: From Synthesis to New Applications, Umberto Costantino, Morena Nocchetti (editores), "Book Series: Series on Chemistry, Energy and the Environment", World Scientific Publishing, 497 p., 2022. ISBN: 978-981-124-060-7. https://doi.org/10.1142/9789811240614_0006

        Layered Double Hydroxides (LDH) are promising engineered-based inorganic particulate carriers emerged for drugs, biomolecules, and genes delivery. Based on their already known properties, LDH materials have been compromised as carriers for storage, transportation and delivery of a huge class of species such as anti-inflammatories and anti-cancer drugs, antibiotics, antioxidants, amino acids, peptides, vitamins, and nucleotides, among others. The confinement or intercalation of bioactive species between the LDH layers can characterize an incremental innovation, producing new nanoformulations. This chapter was organized focusing on the main steps to address studies about the application of materials in the health area: (i) characterization, (ii) therapeutic effectiveness, and (iii) biocompatibility. Materials characterization is a fundamental step to be carried out to forward the data interpretation about the biological components and the host response to the carrier system, as well as the application of such materials. The drug delivery systems, engendered considering the desired route of administration and the disease, have their therapeutic efficacy evaluated by in vitro and in vivo models/protocols. Very promising and interesting data about the biological responses provide strong issues to suggest their application in the biomedical field, mainly considering the standard biocompatibility carried to demonstrate the safety of the drug delivery system. In this chapter, some LDH investigations focusing its application in nanomedicine as a carrier of bioactive species are introduced considering the three steps, providing a broad scenario of the developed studies.