Redox and pH‐Responsive NCC/L‐Cysteine/CM‐β‐CD/FA Contains Disulfide Bond‐Bridged as Nanocarriers for Biosafety and Anti‐Tumor Efficacy System

Abstract

AbstractIn the present research, a new nanocarrier for targeted drug delivery to tumor cells based on nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) was synthesized. For this purpose, firstly, the NCC was prepared from microcrystalline cellulose by acidic hydrolysis and then it was modified by aminopropyl trimethoxy silane (APTMS) as a linker. The L‐cysteine was oxidized to form a disulfide bond and conjugated to modify NCC. Afterwards, the disulfide NCC was reacted with carboxymethyl‐β‐cyclodextrin (CM‐β‐CD) and finally, folic acid (FA) as a targeting agent was embedded into the CD cavity via host‐guest interactions for the synthesis of the NCC targeted nanocarrier. Doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded into nanocarrier spheres and the total release of the NCC targeted nanocarrier is about 71% at pH = 5, and about 48% at pH = 7.4 in 45 hours at 37 °C. In the presence of 10 mM DTT, most of the disulfide bonds are broken and the complex nanocarrier is destroyed, thus drug release increases and reaches 83%. The effect of the drugloaded nanocarrier was investigated on breast cancer cells (MCF7 cells). Characterization was performed using Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H‐NMR), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Energy dispersive X‐ray (EDX), and Ultraviolet‐visible spectrophotometry (UV‐Vis) analyses.