Novel carboxymethyl cellulose-halloysite-polyethylene glycol nanocomposite for improved 5-FU delivery

Drug nano-carriers are crucial for achieving targeted treatment against cancer disorders with minimal side effects. In this study, a pH-responsive nanocomposite based on halloysite nanotube (HNT) coated with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogel for controlled delivery of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), a hydrophobic chemotherapy drug prescribed for different types of cancers was synthesized for the first time using the water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) technique. The developed CMC/PEG/HNT/5-FU nanocomposite was characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) to get information about the particle size, surface charge, interactions between functional groups, crystalline structure and morphology, respectively. High efficiencies in terms of drug entrapment and loading (46 % and 87 %, respectively) were attained. In-vitro drug release results revealed an improved and sustained 5-FU delivery in an acid environment compared to the physiological medium, corroborating the pH-sensitivity of the developed nano-carrier. Flow cytometry and MTT assays demonstrated that the 5-FU loaded nanocomposite had considerable cytotoxicity on MCF-7 breast cancer cells while it is not toxic against L929 fibroblast cells. The nanocomposite synthesized herein could serve as a platform for the pH-sensitive release of anti-cancer drugs.

 

Comments：

A pH-responsive nanocomposite based on HNT coated with CMC/PEG hydrogel for controlled delivery of 5-FU was synthesized for targeted cancer treatment with improved drug entrapment, loading and pH-sensitive release, demonstrating cytotoxicity against breast cancer cells and non-toxicity against fibroblast cells.

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S1209	5-FU (5-Fluorouracil)	5-FU (5-Fluorouracil) is a DNA/RNA synthesis inhibitor, which interrupts nucleotide synthetic by inhibiting thymidylate synthase (TS) in tumor cells. Fluorouracil induces apoptosis and can be used in the treatment of HIV.

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Apoptosis related Thymidylate Synthase Nucleoside Analog/Antimetabolite HIV DNA/RNA Synthesis