Natural-derived porous nanocarriers for the delivery of essential oils

Essential oils (EOs) are natural, volatile substances derived from aromatic plants. They exhibit multiple pharmacological effects, including antibacterial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, with broad application prospects in health care, food, and agriculture. However, the instability of volatile components, which are susceptible to deterioration under light, heat, and oxygen exposure, as well as limited water solubility, have significantly impeded the development and application of EOs. Porous nanoclays are natural clay minerals with a layered structure. They possess unique structural characteristics such as large pore size, regular distribution, and tunable particle size, which are extensively utilized in drug delivery, adsorption separation, reaction catalysis, and other fields. Natural-derived porous nanoclays have garnered considerable attention for the encapsulation and delivery of EOs. This review comprehensively summarizes the structure, types, and properties of natural-derived porous nanoclays, focusing on the structural characteristics of porous nanoclays such as montmorillonite, palygorskite, halloysite, kaolinite, vermiculite, and natural zeolite. It also examines research advances in their delivery of EOs and explores engineering strategies to enhance the delivery of EOs by natural-derived porous nanoclays. Finally, various applications of natural-derived porous nanoclays for EOs in antibacterial, food preservation, repellent, and insecticide aspects are presented, providing a reference for the development and application of EOs.