CS/Au/MWCNT nanohybrid as an efficient carrier for the sustained release of 5-FU and a study of its cytotoxicity on MCF-7.

The chemical reduction method has been used to adeptly synthesize a CS/Au/MWCNT nanocomposite, to be used as a carrier for the effectual delivery of the anticancer drug 5-Fluorouracil. The work aims at utilizing the less investigated ternary nanocomposite system containing chitosan (CS), gold (Au) and MWCNT's to attain higher encapsulation efficiency and to enable a more sustained and prolonged release of 5-FU. This system has improved cytotoxicity when compared to the CS/Au binary system. The prepared sample has been characterized using various techniques that confirm the formation of the nanocomposite, encapsulation of 5-FU into the nanocomposite, the structure of 5-FU and Au in the nanocomposite and the formation of the polymer matrix nanocomposite. An increase in the encapsulation efficiency to 98% and loading efficiency to 43% is observed when compared to the binary composite, elucidating the importance of incorporation of carbon nanotubes into the nanocomposite. A reduction in the release percentage of 5-FU by 40% indicates a more prolonged release, which will enable a reduction of the number of dosages that need to be administered. This in turn leads to a reduction in the side effects posed by the drug 5-FU. Moreover, the effectiveness of the drug loaded nanocomposite system towards the inhibition of breast cancer cells, apparent from the attainment of 50% cell viability while taking sample concentrations as low as 25 µg ml-1, makes this ternary nanocomposite superior and significant.

Luminescent chitosan/carbon dots as an effective nano-drug carrier for neurodegenerative diseases.

Designing new materials for effective and targeted drug delivery is pivotal in biomedical research. Herein, we report on the development of a chitosan/carbon dot-based nanocomposite and investigate its efficacy as a carrier for the sustained release of dopamine drug. The carbon dots (CDs) were synthesized from the carbonization of chitosan and were further conjugated with chitosan (CS) to obtain a chitosan/carbon dot (CS/CD) matrix. Dopamine was later encapsulated in the matrix to form a dopamine@CS/CD nanocomposite. The cytotoxicity of IC-21 and SH-SY5Y cell lines was studied at various concentrations of the nanocomposite and the results demonstrate around 97% cell viability. The photoluminescence property revealed the characteristic property of the carbon dots. When excited at 510 nm an emission peak was observed at 550 nm which enables the use of carbon dots as a tracer for bioimaging. The HRTEM images and the D, G, and 2D bands of the Raman spectra confirm the successful synthesis of carbon dots and through DLS the particle size is estimated to be ∼3 nm. The release studies of the encapsulated drug from the composite were analyzed in an in vitro medium at different pH levels. The novelty of this method is the use of a non-toxic vehicle to administer drugs effectively towards any ailment and in particular, the carbon dots facilitate the consistent release of dopamine towards neurodegenerative diseases and tracing delivery through bioimaging.

Investigating the photocatalytic degradation property of Pt, Pd and Ni nanoparticles-loaded TiO2 nanotubes powder prepared via rapid breakdown anodization.

The present study was performed to investigate the photocatalytic efficiency of the titania (TiO2) nanotubes (NTs) powder prepared via rapid breakdown anodization sensitized individually with Ni, Pd and Pt metal nanoparticles (NPs). The TiO2 NTs powder had the length of 5-6 µm, with the outer diameter between 20 and 25 nm and the wall thickness of 3-4 nm as observed in the scanning and transmission electron microscopes. The crystal structure analysis employing X-ray diffraction indicated the presence of Pt, Pd and Ni NPs in face-centered cubic phase over the anatase TiO2 NTs powder. The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) was carried out with these photocatalysts. As a result, the performance of the 2 at.% Pt-loaded Pt-TiO2 NTs nanocomposite was determined to be superior on comparison to other photocatalysts under the current investigation. Fourier-transform infrared spectra confirmed the absence of any adsorption of MB or degraded products onto the surface of all the photocatalysts. The electron paramagnetic resonance analysis substantiated the e- transfer interaction from the conduction band of TiO2 NTs to Fermi level of Pt NPs has resulted in the better photodegradation process. The possible degradation mechanism using Pt-TiO2 NTs nanocomposites is discussed.

In vitro cytotoxicity study of dual drug loaded chitosan/palladium nanocomposite towards HT-29 cancer cells.

Conjugated drug delivery has gained immense interest due to the possibility of overcoming the resistance of cancer cells to a specific drug when treated using it for a period of time. In the present study, CS/Pd nanocomposite has been prepared using cost effective chemical reduction method and has been used for the delivery of curcumin (CUR) and 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) separately and in a conjugated form. The prepared nanocomposite before and after drug encapsulation have been studied using various characterization techniques. The release of drugs from the nanocomposite with respect to time has been analyzed and the release kinetics has also been studied. The release profile is mostly seen to adhere to zero order kinetics which represents the constant release of drugs from drug delivery system. This is the most favored release kinetic as this leads to the prolonged release of the drug, thus leading to a reduction in the number of doses administered. The cytotoxicity of the drug loaded nanocomposites on colon cancer cells has been studied, which shows the effectiveness of the composite system towards successfully inhibiting the growth of cancer cells.