LDH-chitosan bionanocomposites for oncologic applications: A refreshing perspective on the mutual influence through...

This contribution discusses the design of bionanocomposites based on chitosan and MgAl layered double hydroxides (LDH) for cancer therapy. Compared to other studies, our approach was to pre-adsorb the metal chloride precursors of LDH on chitosan while the solution of metal precursors with and without H⁺ provided the acidic environment for polymer dissolution. The structure, morphology and chemical composition of the bionanocomposites were characterized by XRD, FTIR, TG, etc. Our approach led to an outstanding control of size, morphology, and dispersion of LDH crystallites, alongside enhanced resistance of chitosan to the enzymatic degradation. The obtained LDH particles display a quasi-hexagonal shape and homogenous size distribution averaging 120 nm. A mechanism of synthesis was proposed. The ability of the bionanocomposite to carry a drug was proved by loading a chemotherapeutic agent, fluorouracil (FU). The release of FU followed a behavior like that observed for pure LDH, indicating a selective localization of FU in the LDH constituent of the bionanocomposite. The biocompatibility and therapeutic effects of bionanocomposites were tested on two human breast cancer lines, one human osteosarcoma line, and one rat colon adenocarcinoma cell line. Results proved the biocompatibility of FU-free bionanocomposites, and cytotoxicity and selectivity against various cancer cells for FU-loaded bionanocomposites.