Abstract

FORMULATION OF LIGAND MEDIATED CARBON NANOTUBES BASED DELIVERY OF AN ANTICANCER AGENT

Reena*, Shradha Shende and Navjot Singh

.

Abstract

An attractive method to safely deliver anticancer drugs to targeted tissues is to employ carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a transport vehicle. The proposed study was to assess the in vitro development of folateconjugated Irinotecan hydrochloride loaded multiwalled carbon nanotubes. These prepared systems have the advantage of direct penetration to the cancer cells and have a targeting ability. Rationale of selecting folate conjugated is their selective localization in the vicinity of folate receptor and its easy amino conjugation to carbon nanotubes. Irinotecan hydrochloride was selected as model drug due to its aqueous solubility and high probability of drug loading in carbon nanotubes. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes were purified and functionalized with folic acid using 1-ethyl-3-(-3- dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride and N-Hydroxysuccinimide. After functionalization, various evaluation parameters like Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, dispersion characteristics, elemental analysis, particle size determination and zeta potential were performed. After conjugation of folic acid with multi-walled carbon nanotubes, drug was loaded and then characterized for loading efficiency and in vitro drug release. Sustainedrelease behavior was an important factor for drug delivery systems and prepared carbon nanotubes depicted the same during in vitro drug release studies. As the degree of functionalization increases like first was purified multiwalled carbon nanotubes, then carboxylated and then folate-conjugated carbon nanotubes, entrapment also increases however due to its high dispersity with high steric hindrance and sustained release. Prepared folate-conjugated multiwalled nanotubes have great potential as a novel drug delivery system and tremendous beneficial properties. This anticancer targeted on the body which reduces the side effects and enhancing the therapeutic efficacy.

Keywords: Irinotecan hydrochloride, Multiwalled carbon nanotubes, Functionalization, Folic acid, Purified nanotubes.