Anti-Invasive Peptide-Functionalized Nanotubes for Selective c‑Met Targeting and Metal Chelation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) offer a biocompatible and sustainable platform for drug delivery.
• Developing targeted chemotherapy delivery systems is crucial for improving treatment efficacy and reducing side effects.
• Environmental concerns necessitate greener synthesis methods for nanomaterials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a sustainable and biocompatible drug delivery system using halloysite nanotubes (HNTs).
• To functionalize HNTs with peptides for targeted delivery of doxorubicin (DOX).
• To evaluate the drug loading, release kinetics, and in vitro targeting potential of the functionalized HNTs.

Main Methods:

• Environmentally friendly synthesis using tetrahydropyran (Thp) solvent.
• Functionalization of HNTs with amino groups (APTES) and peptides (P1, P2) via EDC coupling.
• Characterization using FTIR, TGA, drug loading/release studies, and in vitro cell assays.

Main Results:

• Successful functionalization of HNTs confirmed by FTIR and TGA.
• Consistent doxorubicin (DOX) loading efficiency of 8.8% across all composites.
• Differential drug release rates observed: HNT-NH-P1 (9% in 24h) vs. HNT-NH-P2 (3.5% in 24h).
• HNT-NH-P1-DOX demonstrated selective antimigratory effects on c-Met-positive adenocarcinoma cells.
• HNT-NH-P1 platform showed high coordination capacity for Gallium (Ga) with a THP chelator.

Conclusions:

• HNTs serve as versatile platforms for targeted drug delivery and imaging.
• Peptide functionalization influences drug release kinetics and enables selective cell targeting.
• The developed system shows promise for chemotherapy and potential radiopharmaceutical applications.