Facile engineering of chitosan-coated aminopterin loaded zeolitic imidazolate framework: promising drug delivery system for breast cancer

Abstract

In this study, we have designed an anticancer drug delivery framework by a one-pot technique using a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) as the carrier. The chitosan-coated Aminopterin (AMT) loaded with zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-90) CS@AMT@ZIF-90 (CAZ-90) for breast cancer cells. The particle’s outer layer changed Chitosan (CS), a pH-sensitive biomaterial, to increase the composite CAZ-90’s reactivity to pH during drug release. CAZ-90 displayed target-selective and pH-responsive by releasing a significant ratio of AMT under an acidic milieu and a considerably reduced amount of AMT in a normal milieu. Additionally, CAZ-90 was found to have low toxicity to normal Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) cells while inhibiting breast cancer 4T1, MDA-MB-231, and MCF-7 cells in vitro. Further, cell death was investigated by two different staining methods (AO-EB and DAPI nuclear staining). RNase-PI staining by flow cytometry techniques investigated the cell cycle arrest in breast (4T1, MDA-MB-231, and MCF-7) cancer cells. CAZ-90 showed high AMT drug loading, cancer-targeted release, and excellent biocompatibility in the related tests, making it a promising option for an anticancer drug delivery system.