Encapsulation and Enhanced Delivery of Topoisomerase I Inhibitors in Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes
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Updated: Feb 7, 2026

Simultaneous Synthesis of Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene in a Magnetically-enhanced Arc Plasma
Published on: February 2, 2012
Sieun Chae1, Dahee Kim1, Kyung-Jin Lee1
1Advanced Materials Division and Bio and Drug Discovery Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34114, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
The topoisomerase I inhibitors SN-38 and camptothecin (CPT) have shown potent anticancer activity, but water insolubility and metabolic instability limits their clinical application. Utilizing carbon nanotubes as a protective shell for water-insoluble SN-38 and CPT while maintaining compatibility with aqueous media via a carboxylic acid-functionalized surface can thus be a strategy to overcome this limitation. Through hydrophobic-hydrophobic interactions, SN-38 and CPT were successfully encapsulated in carboxylic acid functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes and dispersed in water. The resulting cell proliferation inhibition and drug distribution profile inside the cells suggest that these drug-encapsulated carbon nanotubes can serve as a promising delivery strategy for water-insoluble anticancer drugs.
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