Enhanced inhibition of breast cancer by a dose reduced- dual anticancer drug loaded CMCS/Au nanocomposite

摘要

Carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) is a dissolvable derivative of chitosan which encompasses unique properties, making it suitable in the field of biomedicine, especially in oral drug delivery. Combination of biopolymers with noble metal nanoparticles has proven to be effective in the inhibition of cancer. This work is focused on synthesizing a nanocomposite of CMCS and gold (Au), loaded with 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) and Doxorubicin (Dox) for the treatment of breast cancer. The production of nanocomposite and the incorporation of drugs into it have been confirmed using FTIR, Fluorescence and Zeta Potential measurements. The drug loading and encapsulation efficiency into the nanocomposite are observed to be more, compared to CMCS. The presence of gold aids in photothermal therapy and monitoring Dox release using fluorescence quenching. The CMCS/Au system is perceptibly better in releasing the drugs in a sustained and prolonged manner when compared to CMCS. The cytotoxicity of dual drug loaded nanocomposite is comparatively high at low samples concentrations than drug loaded CMCS. The highlight of this work is in using the unique combination of drugs with CMCS/Au, conferring it with an ability to effectively inhibit breast cancer in vitro when compared to the existing systems.