Quaternized imidazolium-functionalized graphene oxide with good potential for doxorubicin delivery to the MG63 osteosarcoma cancer cell

Abstract

Doxorubicin is one of the most common drugs in cancer treatment. However, its partial solubility along with the high incidence of side effects remains a challenge to tackle. To address these issues, we designed a formulation based on GO and used it as an anticancer drug delivery system. Methods: The physical and chemical properties of the formulation were studied using FTIR, SEM, EDX, Mapping, and XRD. Release studies in the in-vitro condition were used to evaluate the pH sensitivity of drug release from nanocarriers. Other in-vitro studies, including uptake assay, MTT, and apoptosis assay were carried out on the osteosarcoma cell line. Results: In-vitro release studies confirmed that the synthesized formulation provides a better payload release profile in acidic conditions, which is usually the case in the tumor site. On the osteosarcoma cell line, the cytotoxicity of the doxorubicin-loaded nanocarrier (IC50=0.293 μg/mL) and early apoptosis rate (33.80‎%‎) was higher in comparison to free doxorubicin (IC50=0.472 μg/mL, and early apoptosis rate= 8.31‎%‎) after 48 h.