Synthesis and stability analysis of folic acid-graphene oxide nanoparticles for drug delivery and targeted cancer therapies

Abstract

Cancer is the growth and proliferation of damage-ending cells in an uncontrolled or abnormal way. Today, it takes place among the most important health problems around the world and in our country. Surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are the main treatment methods in cancer treatment. The development of resistance to chemotherapeutic medicines has led scientists to investigate this issue as well as the drug’s ability to reach the targeted tumor site and destroying cancer cells in addition to normal cells. The production of various nanostructures for anticancer drug development has been one of the most important areas of nanomedicine. Thus, in the present research, the improved Hummers’ method was employed for the synthesis of graphene oxide nanoparticle (NGO), and it was activated by the folic acid (FA) antibody to increase targeting ability after attachment of the drug to the nanostructure systems. SEM, FTIR, XRD, UV/Vis spectroscopy, and zeta potential analysis were performed for characterization of the products. The highest absorbance of the FA-NGO/DIW nanostructures produced at the concentration of 0.01 mg/ml-0.05 mg/ml synthesized by the Hummers’ method and in the UV/Vis spectra, peaks at 232 nm and 270 nm corresponds to NGO-DIW and FA-NGO/DIW, respectively. The zeta potential value above 35 mV was obtained in all measurements, and the NGO-DIW and NGO-FA-DIW samples maintained stability for days. These findings are consistent with the few studies in the literature, and this study will guide future studies in which nanoparticle systems will be directed to the target by binding chemotherapeutic drugs.