Engineering Two-in-One Nanoparticles for Simultaneous Delivery of Graphene Quantum Dot and Pemetrexed
Creators
- 1. Ankara Univ, Fac Pharm, Dept Pharmaceut Technol, TR-06560 Yenimahalle, Ankara, Turkiye
- 2. Univ A Coruna, CICA Ctr Interdisciplinar Quim Bioloxia, La Coruna 15071, Spain
- 3. Univ Hlth Sci, Gulhane Fac Pharm, Dept Pharmaceut Technol, TR-06010 Kecioren, Ankara, Turkiye
- 4. TUBITAK, Marmara Res Ctr, TR-41470 Gebze, Kocaeli, Turkiye
- 5. Ankara Univ, Fac Pharm, Dept Pharmaceut Toxicol, TR-06560 Yenimahalle, Ankara, Turkiye
- 6. Masaryk Univ, Fac Sci, Dept Expt Biol, Brno 62500, Czech Republic
- 7. Ankara Univ, Biotechnol Inst, Dept Biotechnol, TR-06135 Kecioren, Ankara, Turkiye
Description
The simultaneous delivery of therapeutic agents and imaging probes using polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) has gained significant attention for cancer treatment. In this work, we developed a multifunctional nanocarrier system composed of an amphiphilic block copolymer, poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)-b-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PEtOx-b-PCL), and dimethyldidodecylammonium bromide (DDAB), for the codelivery of the chemotherapeutic drug pemetrexed (PMT) and nitrogen- or sulfur-doped graphene quantum dots (N-GQDs or S-GQDs) as fluorescent probes. Critical formulation parameters were optimized using a central composite design (CCD). The optimized NPs exhibited favorable physicochemical properties, including positive surface charge (6-8 mV), hydrodynamic diameters of similar to 140 nm, and high encapsulation efficiency for both PMT (46-56%) and GQDs (>98%). In vitro assays revealed that PMT-loaded nanoparticles (NPs) significantly enhanced cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cells. At a concentration of 2 ppm after 72 h, N-PMT NPs and S-PMT NPs inhibited cell proliferation by 50.7% and 53.8%, respectively, compared to 37.8% inhibition with free PMT at the same dose. Confocal microscopy confirmed efficient intracellular uptake and strong fluorescence signals, supporting their potential for bioimaging. Collectively, these results demonstrate that this two-in-one nanocarrier system significantly enhances chemotherapeutic efficacy while enabling real-time imaging, establishing a promising platform for drug delivery and noninvasive treatment monitoring in cancer nanomedicine.
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