Carboxymethyl cellulose modified graphene oxide as pH-sensitive drug delivery system

Nanotechnology has been studied to improve drug delivery and cancer treatment. The aim of this study is to introduce amino groups into graphene oxide (GO) to form aminated fumed graphene (GO-ADH) and combine GO-ADH with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) to produce GO-CMC complex as a drug carrier matrix. The anti-cancer drug small molecule doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) was bond to GO-CMC by π-π bond interaction and hydrogen bonding to form GO-CMC/DOX drug loading system. Via the FT-IR, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Zeta potential analyzer analysis showed that GO-CMC complex was successfully synthesized. Studies have shown that when pH=5.0, the cumulative release rate of drugs can reach 65.2%, which means it has pH-sensitive ability. The cells were treated with MTT method and human cervical cancer cells (Hela cells) and mouse fibroblasts (NIH-3T3 cells). The results showed that GO-CMC had no obvious cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility.