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Abstract
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In this study, a system was investigated for controlled delivery of gemcitabine
(GEM), an anti-cancer drug with short biological half-life time (8–17 min), using
graphene oxide (GO)/montmorillonite (MMT)/chitosan (CS) nanocomposite. The
structure, morphology, zeta potential, and thermal stability of the nanocomposite
were evaluated by FT-IR, XRD, zeta potential analyzer, FESEM, and TGA. The
results revealed that the GO interacted with positively charged GEM and CS surface.
Also, the drug was intercalated between the silicate layers of MMT, and this
phenomenon is responsible for more protection of the drug from burst release. The
positive zeta potential of GO/GEM/CS/MMT nanocomposite (+ 16.5 mV) promotes
physical stability and interaction with the negative domains of the cell membrane.
A significant synergistic effect of GO and MMT on the controlled release of
GEM from the drug delivery system-based chitosan matrix has been obtained. The
nanocomposite with 17 wt% MMT in the release media with pH of 7.4 provided
the optimal combination of drug release rate and drug release content, whereas the
time for GEM 50% release (T50%) was obtained about 2 h. The non-Fickian diffusion
mechanism and Korsmeyer–Peppas kinetic model were confirmed for release
of GEM from drug-loaded nanocomposites. Finally, to investigate the efficiency of
nanocomposite as an anti-cancer drug delivery system, an in vitro cytotoxicity assay
was also carried out using breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231. Results confirmed
that the prepared nanocomposite could be used as a potential breast cancer therapy
system for the controlled delivery of GEM.
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