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Published on: June 23, 2020
Doxorubicin Loading on Functional Graphene as a Promising Nanocarrier Using Ternary Deep Eutectic Solvent Systems.
Mohamad Hamdi Zainal-Abidin1,1, Maan Hayyan1,2, Gek Cheng Ngoh1,1
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya Centre for Ionic Liquids (UMCiL), Faculty of Engineering, Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, and Centre for Separation Science and Technology (CSST), Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
Researchers developed a new method to reduce graphene toxicity for drug delivery using natural deep eutectic solvents (DESs). This functionalized graphene effectively delivered doxorubicin to cancer cells, showing improved loading and efficacy.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Graphene shows promise for drug delivery but suffers from high toxicity.
- Enhancing graphene's biocompatibility is crucial for its therapeutic applications.
- Natural deep eutectic solvents (DESs) offer a novel approach for surface modification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To functionalize graphene using ternary natural deep eutectic solvents (DESs) to improve its biocompatibility for drug delivery.
- To investigate the efficacy of DES-functionalized graphene as a nanocarrier for doxorubicin.
- To evaluate the anticancer activity of doxorubicin-loaded DES-functionalized graphene against human breast cancer cells.
Main Methods:
- Graphene functionalization using ternary DESs (choline chloride:sucrose:water and choline chloride:glycerol:water).
- Physicochemical characterization using FE-SEM, FTIR, Raman, BET, XRD, and EDX.
- Doxorubicin loading and evaluation of entrapment efficiency (EE) and drug loading capacity (DLC).
- In vitro cytotoxicity studies on MCF-7 human breast cancer cells.
Main Results:
- DES functionalization significantly improved graphene's drug entrapment efficiency and loading capacity compared to pristine and oxidized graphene.
- DES choline chloride:sucrose:water (4:1:4) yielded the highest EE (51.84%) and DLC (25.92%).
- Doxorubicin-loaded functionalized graphene induced significant cell death (>95%) in MCF-7 cells via reactive oxygen species generation and cell cycle disruption.
Conclusions:
- Ternary natural DESs are effective and green agents for functionalizing graphene, enhancing its potential as a nanodrug carrier.
- DES-functionalized graphene demonstrates superior doxorubicin loading and enhanced anticancer efficacy.
- This study highlights the novel application of DES-functionalized graphene in targeted cancer therapy.
