Folate-Functionalized CS/rGO/NiO Nanocomposites as a Multifunctional Drug Carrier with Anti-Microbial,...

This study reports the synthesis of surface-modified chitosan (CS) coated with reduced graphene oxide/nickel oxide (rGO/NiO) as a multifunctional drug carrier with anti-microbial, target-specific, and stimuli-responsive capacities. CS, rGO, and NiO nanoparticles are selected due to their pH-responsiveness, large surface area, and ROS generating-capacity, respectively.

The CS/rGO/NiO nanocomposites (NCs) are synthesized using a solvothermal approach. Glutaraldehyde is used to crosslink CS and rGO/NiO to enhance the stability of the NCs. Structural properties, magnetic properties, antimicrobial activity, drug release sustainability and toxicity of the NCs are evaluated.

The NCs show good biocompatibility, excellent magnetic properties, good target specificity, and remarkable cell growth inhibitory effects. The release of doxorubicin (DOX) from the drug-loaded NCs at pH 5.0 (~98.6%) is much higher than that at pH 7.4 (~9.6%). Furthermore, the NCs inhibit the growth of A549 and MCF7 cells, causing the viability of A549 and MCF7 to drop to 12.3% and 7.1%, respectively. By using zebrafish embryos as a model, no detectable change is observed in the survival rate of the embryos after NC treatment.

The NCs exhibit multifunctional, target-specific, and pH-responsive characteristics. These properties make the NCs a promising candidate for use in drug delivery applications.