PEGylated bottom-up synthesized graphene nanoribbons loaded with camptothecin as potential drug carriers

Abstract

This work discusses the potential use of bottom-up synthesized graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) as nano-carriers for drug delivery systems (DDSs). GNRs have a high loading capacity for anticancer drugs due to their high specific surface area and non-covalent adsorption with hydrophobic anticancer drug molecules. Herein, we synthesized GNRs using a bottom-up approach, modified with PEG2000 (GNR-PEG) and PEG2000 carrying folic acid chains (GNR-PEG-FA), and then loaded with camptothecin (CPT). The targeting ability mediated by folic acid of the GNR derivative was evaluated using cellular assays, and the cytotoxicity of GNR systems loaded with CPT was assessed by in vitro studies. They suggest that the functionalization of GNR derivatives with folic acid significantly affects their interaction with cells expressing different levels of folic acid receptors. The authors also explore the possibility to employ GNRs in photothermal therapy (PTT). GNR-PEG and GNR-PEG-FA display minor or no toxicity in standard cell cultures, but they show remarkable thermal response upon NIR irradiation, causing complete loss of cell viability within a few hours of treatment. This work highlights the potential of GNRs as DDSs and emphasizes the importance of further research on their biocompatibility and as a platform for PTT.