Fabrication of a smart and biocompatible brush copolymer decorated on magnetic graphene oxide hybrid nanostructure for drug delivery application

Abstract

This study aimed to improve the therapeutic efficacy of doxorubicin (DOX) as an anticancer drug via loading it in the nanostructure. Therefore, for the first time, a new stimuli-responsive brushes copolymer decorated on the magnetic graphene oxide surface (MG-PB) fabricated, as well as, its capability as a targeted and stimuli-responsive drug delivery nanostructure was evaluated as in vitro. In this regard, at first, the magnetic graphene oxide nanohybrid (MG) was synthesized. Modification of the MG with triethoxyvinylsilane (TEVS) introduced the vinylic groups on the MG surface (MG-TEVS) and offered the polymerization possibility of the acrylic monomers from the MG surface. The copolymer brushes of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and acrylated β-cyclodextrin (Ac-β-CD) were grown from the MG-TEVS surface. The Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis used to explore the successful growth of the PB brushes. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the prepared nanosystem was determined at about 35 °C. DOX was loaded about 50.15% in MG-PB. The drug release results displayed the controlled release profile with ~ 65% of DOX release in pH 5.0, 40 °C. The obtained drug release kinetic results demonstrated that the first-order kinetic model is more fitted with experimental data and DOX release follows from the Fickian mechanism. Cell viability confirmed the biocompatibility of the MG-PB. Additionally, the quantitative and qualitative cellular uptake, 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining, and cell cycle tests revealed the high anticancer performance of drug-loaded nanocarrier through the penetration within the cells and their killing as a result of DOX release. The targeted and stimuli-responsive drug release capability of the MG-BB could be the valuable advantages, hence, obtained results suggest the great potential of the ternary MG-PB hybrid nanostructure as a controlled anticancer drug delivery vehicle.