Leishmaniasis as a widespread neglected vector-borne protozoan disease is a major public health concern in endemic areas due to 12 million people affected worldwide and 60,000 deaths annually. Several problems and side effects in using current
chemotherapies leads to progression of new drug delivery systems against
leishmaniasis. For instance, layered double
hydroxides (LDHs) so-called anionic
clays due to their proper characteristics, have been considered recently. In the present study, LDH nanocarriers were prepared using co-precipitation method. Then, the intercalation reactions with
amphotericin B were conducted via indirect ion exchange assay. Finally, after characterization of prepared LDHs, the anti-leishmanial effects of
Amp-Zn/Al-LDH nanocomposites against Leishmania major were evaluated using an in vitro and in silico model. According to results, current study demonstrated that Zn/Al-NO3 LDH nanocarriers can be used as a new promising delivery system by intercalating
amphotericin B into its interlayer space for
leishmaniasis treatment by eliminating the L. major parasites by remarkable immunomodulatory,
antioxidant and apoptotic effects.