Abstract
A pH-tunable “on-off” module polymeric micelles (PM) composed of two parts, a hydrophilic (polyethylene glycol) shell and a hydrophobic (resorcinol) core, was synthesized. Doxorubicin (DOX) was encapsulated into the micelle core via hydrophobic interaction. Due to the low toxicity, good fluorescence emission, water solubility, and biocompatibility, nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (NCDs) were used as labels to form PMs with robust fluorescence characteristics. NCDs were synthesized (particle size of 2.26 nm and fluorescence quantum yield of 8.2%). The prepared PM with 28 nm in size demonstrated desirable DOX-loading content of 33.64% and encapsulation efficiency of 48.90%. Analyses such as FT-IR, dynamic light scattering, and transmission electron microscopy were used to determine the characteristics of prepared fluorescence drug-loaded micelles (NCD@DOX/PM). The developed nanocarrier revealed a sustained release profile where 94.0% of the encapsulated DOX was released within 24 h in pH 5.0. Moreover, the in vitro cytotoxicity test of NCD@DOX/PM showed about 30% cell viability on MCF-7 cells at the maximum dose of 4.5 μg/mL. Overall, all these appealing attributes make micelles a promising modality for the delivery and controlled release of DOX in tumor cells.
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