β-Cyclodextrin modified graphene oxide–magnetic nanocomposite for targeted delivery and pH-sensitive release of stereoisomeric anti-cancer drugs

Abstract

β-cyclodextrin modified graphene oxide-magnetic (MGC) nanocomposite as an innovative drug carrier was the first developed via an effective layer-by-layer-assembly method. Doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) and epirubicin hydrochloride (EPI) as model drugs were loaded onto the MGC via π-π stacking, hydrogen bond and hydrophobic interaction. The MGC exhibits remarkably higher loading capacity for DOX (909.09 mg/g) and EPI (781.25 mg/g) than magnetic graphene oxide (MG). The release profiles of drug are pH-sensitive which would control the release in acidic cytoplasm of cancer cells. Furthermore, cellular uptake using fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeled MGC proves successful internalization of MGC into the cytoplasm of MCF-7 cells. The fluorescence images demonstrate that MGC/DOX, to a certain extent, displays a more excellent delivery and superior release than MGC/EPI, due to the chiral select function of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). The pure MGC shows no obvious cytotoxicity while drug loaded MGC reveals significantly high potency of killing MCF-7 breast cancer cells, suggesting that multi-functionalized MGC is an efficient nanoplatform for targeted delivery and controlled release of stereoisomeric anticancer drugs for biomedical applications.

Chiral Graphene Hybrid Materials: Structures, Properties, and Chiral Applications

“…[ 32–34 ] The chiral components summarized in Section 2 can be rationally coupled with graphene and the derivatives, which further improve the applicability of graphene materials. Additionally, the result in this study [ 104 ] further evidences the importance of chirality in biological and physiological processes.…”

“…The study establishes an efficient nanoplatform for targeted delivery and controlled release of chiral drugs for biomedical applications. [ 104 ] Enantioselective effects in chiral drug delivery has become one of the research themes in pharmaceutical community. [ 263,264 ] Owing to the chiral nature of the frequently used carriers and/or excipients (e.g., starch and dextrin) and the special chiral environment inside human body, chiral drugs may undergo specific enantioselective interactions with the chiral carriers and human body.…”

“…[ 6 ] The work from Shuang et al. [ 104 ] reflects that chiral graphene materials may be exploited for developing chiral carriers applicable to releasing chiral drugs, since a number of studies have shown the potential uses of graphene family materials as biomaterials. [ 32–34 ] The chiral components summarized in Section 2 can be rationally coupled with graphene and the derivatives, which further improve the applicability of graphene materials.…”

<p>Applications of Graphene and Graphene Oxide in Smart Drug/Gene Delivery: Is the World Still Flat?</p>

“…The toxicity test on the cells indicated that MGC has a lower toxic effect than MG whereas MGC/epirubicin showed a stronger lethal effect on MCF-7 cells. 107 In a recent work, it was proved that the decoration of GO nanosheets by magnetic iron nanoparticles followed by functionalization by chitosan/sodium alginate (CS/SA) leads to the formation of a versatile nanocarrier which can load a high amount of DOX, release it in a low pH environment and enhance cancer cell killing via photothermal therapy (PTT). 108 In a similar study, the triple responsive (pH, thermal and magnetic) GO nanohydrogel was developed and its DOX release ability was examined in the presence and absence of the magnet.…”

“…The toxicity test on the cells indicated that MGC has a lower toxic effect than MG whereas MGC/epirubicin showed a stronger lethal effect on MCF-7 cells. 107 …”