Ultrasound-assisted synthesis layered double hydroxide@hydroxyapatite-doxorubicin coated magnetic PEG nanocomposite: A biocompatible pH-sensitive nanocarrier for anticancer drug delivery

Abstract

In this study, a biocompatible pH-sensitive system was designed based on a nano-composition of layered double hydroxide@hydroxyapatite-doxorubicin coated magnetic Fe3O4-polyethylene glycol (LDH@HAp-DOX@Fe3O4-PEG) for targeted anticancer drug delivery. The prepared nanocomposites were thoroughly characterized using various techniques. The drug encapsulation efficiency (DEE) and drug-loading content (DLC) were calculated to be ∼ 78.1 % and 7.8 % for HAp-DOX, respectively. The kinetics and in-vitro drug release studies showed that LDH@HAp-DOX@Fe3O4-PEG has a controlled release profile compared to LDH@HAp-DOX at pH 5. Alternatively, the higher drug release rate (∼68.9 %) at a low-pH environment (pH 5) than that of pH 7.4 (≤40 %) confirmed a pH-sensitive release behavior of LDH@HAp-DOX@Fe3O4-PEG. In-vitro cytotoxicity and DAPI staining analyses showed that the LDH@HAp-DOX@Fe3O4-PEG has higher toxicity (cell viability ≤ 20 % at 31.25 μg/mL) than free DOX against MCF-7 breast cancer cells. In addition, the hemolysis assay confirmed the non-hemolytic nature (≤5%) of the LDH@HAp-DOX@Fe3O4-PEG nanocarrier. Based on the obtained results, the designed nanocomposite could be proposed as a promising candidate for the targeted DOX delivery by minimizing its possible side effects.