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Green Synthesized Montmorillonite/Carrageenan/Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> Nanocomposites for pH-Responsive Release of Protocatechuic Acid and Its Anticancer Activity
oleh: Yen Pin Yew, Kamyar Shameli, Shaza Eva Mohamad, Kar Xin Lee, Sin-Yeang Teow
Format: | Article |
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Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2020-07-01 |
Deskripsi
Discovery of a novel anticancer drug delivery agent is important to replace conventional cancer therapies which are often accompanied by undesired side effects. This study demonstrated the synthesis of superparamagnetic magnetite nanocomposites (Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-NCs) using a green method. Montmorillonite (MMT) was used as matrix support, while Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> nanoparticles (NPs) and carrageenan (CR) were used as filler and stabilizer, respectively. The combination of these materials resulted in a novel nanocomposite (MMT/CR/Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-NCs). A series of characterization experiments was conducted. The purity of MMT/CR/Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-NCs was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) analysis revealed the uniform and spherical shape of Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> NPs with an average particle size of 9.3 ± 1.2 nm. Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) analysis showed an M<sub>s</sub> value of 2.16 emu/g with negligible coercivity which confirmed the superparamagnetic properties. Protocatechuic acid (PCA) was loaded onto the MMT/CR/Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-NCs and a drug release study showed that 15% and 92% of PCA was released at pH 7.4 and 4.8, respectively. Cytotoxicity assays showed that both MMT/CR/Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-NCs and MMT/CR/Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-PCA effectively killed HCT116 which is a colorectal cancer cell line. Dose-dependent inhibition was seen and the killing was enhanced two-fold by the PCA-loaded NCs (IC<sub>50</sub>–0.734 mg/mL) compared to the unloaded NCs (IC<sub>50</sub>–1.5 mg/mL). This study highlights the potential use of MMT/CR/Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-NCs as a biologically active pH-responsive drug delivery agent. Further investigations are warranted to delineate the mechanism of cell entry and cancer cell killing as well as to improve the therapeutic potential of MMT/CR/Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-NCs.