**Author details**

Synthetic zeolite scaffolds have been successfully applied to in vitro studies regarding both adhesion and cell growth kinetics [25] as well as to the analysis of

For years, zeolite crystals have been used in various technological fields of great industrial interest such as catalysts, ion exchangers, and adsorbents in chromatographic applications. Today, the preparation of crystalline zeolite membranes plays a central role in many new applicative fields such as catalytic zeolite membrane reactors, gas separations, drug delivery, anticancer activity modulation, food toxicology, enzyme/protein adsorption, and antimicrobial nanotechnologies. Zeolite crystals and membranes are key materials for selective adsorption of biological molecules, drugs, and chemotherapy drugs. Moreover, the zeolite membranes represent a synthetic scaffold suitable, ideal, and able to guarantee the survival, growth, and correct differentiation of human normal and cancer cells. The development of zeolite membranes with versatile physics-chemical properties may con-

stitute the goal for new components in biomedical and biotechnological

The authors acknowledge Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ricerca (MIUR) for funding as part of "Spread Bio-Oil PON01\_01 00293 project, PON R&C (Programma Operativo Nazionale Ricerca e Competitività 2007-2013)."

In this work, the authors use framework type codes of the IZA Commission.

new formulation cosmetics and foods [26] (**Figure 7**).

**8. Conclusions**

*Zeolites - New Challenges*

applications.

**Acknowledgements**

**Conflict of interest**

**Nomenclature**

**Abbreviations**

**48**

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

PZC point of zero charge

BSA bovine serum albumin FAU faujasite structure BEA beta-structure MFI MFI structure

ECM extracellular matrix

NSPC2 neural stem/progenitor cells SAR silicon/aluminum ratio

FDA Food and Drug Administration

IZA International Zeolite Association

IARC International Agency for Research on Cancer

EFSA Education and Skills Funding Agency

Adalgisa Tavolaro<sup>1</sup> \*†, Silvia Catalano2† and Palmira Tavolaro2†

1 Research Institute on Membrane Technology, National Research Council of Italy, ITM-CNR, University of Calabria, Cs, Italy

2 Department of Physics, University of Calabria, Cs, Italy

3 Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Cs, Italy

\*Address all correspondence to: a.tavolaro@itm.cnr.it

† These authors contributed equally.

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