Edible layered double hydroxide nanoparticles on 3D scaffolds for accelerated biological cell development

By 2050, surging global population will intensify food insecurity, making it imperative to develop innovative strategies that boost plant productivity. Plants are our core food supply. Engineered nanoparticles have emerged as promising growth stimulants; however, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), despite their efficacy, are inedible and pose eco-toxicity concerns that restrict their agrobiological deployment. Furthermore, conventional whole-tissue studies obscure individual cell responses, preventing precise characterization of nanoparticle-cell interactions. Here, we introduce magnesium-aluminium layered double hydroxide (MgAl-LDH) nanoparticles, which is a food-grade material derived from commercial antacid formulations, that outperformed CNTs in accelerating plant cell development. This enhancement is suggested to be associated with the presence of magnesium ions and the positively charged LDH surface architecture, although the detailed molecular mechanisms remain to be fully elucidated.