Easy on-demand self-assembly of lateral nanodimensional hybrid graphene oxide flakes for near-infrared-induced chemothermal therapy

• Published in: NPG Asia materials 2017-08, Vol.9 (8), p.e416-e416
• Main Authors: Thapa, Raj Kumar, Byeon, Jeong Hoon, Ku, Sae Kwang, Yong, Chul Soon, Kim, Jong Oh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 631/61/54/990; 639/925/357/551; Anticancer properties; Bearing strength; Biomaterials; Cancer; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chitosan; Doxorubicin; Drug carriers; Drug delivery systems; Energy Systems; Flakes; Graphene; Heat generation; Materials Science; Nanostructure; Near infrared radiation; Optical and Electronic Materials; original-article; Polyethylene glycol; Polyethylenes; Prostate; Self-assembly; Structural Materials; Surface and Interface Science; Thin Films
• ISSN: 1884-4049; 1884-4057
• DOI: 10.1038/am.2017.141

Near-infrared (NIR)-induced chemothermal doxorubicin (DOX) release for anticancer activity was demonstrated using DOX-incorporated fully lateral nanodimensional graphene oxide (nGO) flakes layered with chitosan-polyethylene glycol (PEG) conjugate (nGO@DOX-cPEG) from a single-pass gas-phase self-assembly. Unlike most previously reported graphene oxide-based drug carriers, the proposed processing method introduced a fully nanoscale (both in lateral dimension and thickness) configuration without multistep wet physicochemical processes that enhance the drug-loading capacity and NIR-induced heat generation resulting from the increased surface area. The accumulation of nGO@DOX-cPEG flakes in prostate cancer cells enhanced apoptotic phenomena via the combined effects of DOX release and heat generation upon NIR irradiation. The combined anticancer effects were verified through in vivo assessment with better safety profiles than free DOX. The proposed strategy warrants continuous assembly of multimodal nanocarriers for the efficient treatment of prostate cancers and may be a promising candidate for advanced drug delivery systems. Drug delivery: Hitting and heating the target Graphene-based nanoparticles that destroy cancer cells by simultaneously delivering drugs and heating malignant cells have been developed. Nanoparticles carrying therapeutic drugs can seek out and bind to target malignant cells. Tailoring the functionality of these drug-delivery materials requires controlling their size and shape. Jeong Hoon Byeon from Yeungnam University in South Korea and co-workers has now demonstrated a simple method for synthesizing graphene oxide nanoparticles, which they used to destroy prostate cancer cells. Their method creates graphene oxide particles that have nanometer-scale dimensions in both lateral dimensions and thickness without the need for multiple chemical reactions. Using a single-pass reaction, the researchers self-assembled graphene oxide that incorporated a chemotherapy drug known as doxorubicin. When irradiated with near-infrared laser light, these nanoparticles killed prostate cancer cells through the combined effects of heating and drug release. A single-pass self-assembly approach was developed to demonstrate enhanced antitumor activities from drug-loaded fully lateral nanodimensional graphene oxide flakes under near-infrared irradiation.