Hydrogel-Based Stimuli-Responsive Functionalized Graft Copolymers for the Controlled Delivery of 5-Fluorouracil, an Anticancer Drug

Abstract

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a widely used anticancer drug. To minimize the toxic side effects of 5-FU, a suitable drug delivery system (DDS) is needed for its controlled release. In the present chapter, we conducted a study that compared two different controlled-release systems into which 5-FU had been incorporated. The two delivery systems compared were 3-methacryloxy propyl trimethoxy silane-coated magnetic nanoparticles polymerized with glycidyl methacrylate-grafted-maleated cyclodextrin [MPTMS-MNP-poly-(GMA-g-MACD)] and aminated-glycidyl methacrylate-grafted cellulose-grafted polymethacrylic acid-succinyl cyclodextrin [Cell-g-(GMA/en)-PMA-SCD]. The successful formation of DDS and 5-FU loaded DDS was confirmed from FT-IR, XRD, and SEM analyses. Studies including swelling, in vitro release kinetics, drug loading efficiency, encapsulation efficiency, and cytotoxicity were performed to compare the efficiency of the drug carriers. The results suggest that both MPTMS-MNP-poly-(GMA-g-MACD) and Cell-g-(GMA/en)-PMA-SCD may be useful delivery vehicle for the controlled release of 5-FU.