Functionalized Ultrasmall Fluorinated Graphene with High NIR Absorbance for Controlled Delivery of Mixed Anticancer Drugs

Abstract

Fluorinated graphene (FG) possess distinctively novel properties different from graphene and is suitable for many biomedical applications. However, the hydrophobic nature and inert properties of FG limit its further application as a biological material. Here we show the preparation of nano-sized FG (ca. 60 nm) that exhibits high NIR absorbance for photothermal therapy. In order to make it stable in physiological solutions, the FG is enriched with oxygen and followed by covalent binding with chitosan as a novel pH-responsive nanocarrier. Furthermore, controlled loading of two anticancer drugs, doxorubicin (DOX) and camptothecin (CPT) has been realized and the functionalized ultrasmall FG shows remarkably high cytotoxicity toward Hela cancer cells compared to that loaded with either CPT or DOX only. This work established nano-sized FG as a novel photothermal agent due to its small size and can be used a stimulus-responsive nanocarrier for mixed drug delivery and combined therapy.

Near-infrared light enhanced starvation therapy to effectively promote cell apoptosis and inhibit migration

“…S3). This was mostly because that after PEG-FA modification, the long chain of PEG made the hydration degree become stronger and thus the DLS size was larger, similar to previous work [53,54]. And such a small size considerably enhanced the cell uptake by endocytosis [37].…”

Understanding the driving forces of camptothecin interactions on the surface of nanocomposites based on graphene oxide decorated with silica nanoparticles

“…Signicant efforts are currently directed at the development of nanocarriers to solve the problems of low drug solubility in blood and under unfavourable pharmacokinetic conditions (rapid release), as in the case of CPT. In this context, nanomaterials can effectively transport these molecules to cancer cells, facilitating their delivery and intracellular uptake, 18 prolonging their release time and optimizing their distribution in the body. In addition, these molecular carriers can be developed as high-capacity platforms for encapsulating antitumor drugs, [19][20][21] an important property for optimizing the amount of antitumor drugs within the cells.…”

Fabrication and Antitumor Mechanism of a Nanoparticle Drug Delivery System: Graphene Oxide/Chitosan Oligosaccharide/γ‐Polyglutamic Acid Composites for Anticancer Drug Delivery

“…At 7 μg mL −1 , treatment with GO‐CO‐ γ ‐PGA‐DOX resulted in a stronger signal (89415) than those of free DOX (87343), GO‐DOX (57177) and GO‐CO‐DOX (82241) in cells. These results revealed that the GO‐CO‐ γ ‐PGA composite is an efficient carrier for taking DOX into cells and releasing drugs to perform their function …”