Efficient and Traceable Tamoxifen Delivery to Breast Cancer Cells Using Folic Acid‐Decorated and PEGylated Graphene Quantum Dots

Abstract

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) possess potential properties for the targeted transport and tracking of anticancer medication to tumor cells. For this purpose, the synthesized GQDs were decorated with folic acid (FA) and methoxy polyethylene glycol (mPEG2000), and finally loaded with tamoxifen (TMX) drug. The synthesized nano‐drug was characterized using FTIR, XRD, UV‐Vis, PL, HRTEM, FESEM, and DLS analytical devices. Based on the obtained data, the average hydrodynamic diameter of particles dissolved in water was 294.7 nm and the size of dehydrated particles was between 53 and 210 nm. PL data showed that prepared nanoparticles have an emission wavelength of 438 nm, which is in the blue fluorescent wavelength range, thus making these nanoparticles suitable for cell imaging. The encapsulation efficiency and loading percentage of tamoxifen in nanoparticles were calculated at about 52.5 % and 30 %, respectively, and cumulative drug release reached 89 % within 42 hours. The cytotoxicity effects of nanoparticles were investigated. According to IC50 results, the targeted mPEG‐GQDs‐FA/TMX (TMX‐FPGs) nano‐drug was more toxic than free TMX on MCF‐7 cells and had reduced side effects on healthy HDF cells. TMX‐FPGs induced apoptosis cell death, significantly. The confocal imaging experiments showed that TMX‐FPGs are appropriate for monitoring and targeting MCF‐7 cells.

Quantum Dot Research in Breast Cancer: Challenges and Prospects

“…The characterization of this nano-drug revealed an average hydrodynamic diameter of 294.7 nm in water, with a dehydrated particle size ranging from 53 to 210 nm. This development showed that the tamoxifen-loaded GQDs were more toxic to cancer cells compared to tamoxifen alone, indicating a potential for enhanced cell monitoring and targeted therapy in breast cancer [88]. Graphene QDs conjugated with tamoxifen and folic acid were designed for targeted drug delivery, particularly in the treatment of breast cancer.…”

“…Quantum Dot Synthesis and Characterization: This involves assessing optical, photophysical, and surface properties to optimize the QDs for specific applications [5,34,39,66,67,83,88,[90][91][92]112,119]. Advanced characterization techniques such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron microscopy (SEM), Fouriertransform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Ultraviolet-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), photoluminescence (PL), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Field Emission Scanning Electron microscopy (FESEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), and atomic force microscopy (AFM), are crucial for uncovering detailed structural and functional insights [5,14,15,30,34,35,79,[88][89][90]112].…”

“…Additionally, QDs have facilitated the development of targeted cancer treatments, improving the delivery and efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents such as doxorubicin and tamoxifen. They have also been employed in novel therapeutic strategies, including photodynamic and photothermal therapies, demonstrating improved targeting and efficacy, and reducing potential side effects in breast cancer treatment [5,16,17,53,88,91,92,98,100].…”