Graphene oxide functionalized with calcium-alginate hydrogel loaded with camptothecin as a feasible anticancer agent

In this study, graphene oxide (GO) nanomaterials are commonly utilized in cancer treatment. The anticancer drug camptothecin (CPT) was combined with graphene oxide nanosheets (GO NS) resulting in a unique graphene oxide/camptothecin-mediated drug delivery system. Initially, graphene oxide nanosheets loaded onto calciumalginate were prepared, and then the system was functionalized with camptothecin (GO-Ca-Alg2/CPT) to achieve a more precise drug delivery system. The prepared nanocomposite was compared with different systems such as, calcium -alginate hydrogel (Ca-Alg2 hydrogel), graphene oxide nanosheets (GO), camptothecin (CPT), and graphene oxide/calcium-alginate nanocomposite (GO-Ca-Alg2. Different techniques were used to characterize the phase composition and morphology of different nanocomposites. The loading capacity and the drug release of CPT from (GO-Ca-Alg2/CPT nanocomposite was investigated. The MTT assay was used to test the anticancer effects of the ready -made drug delivery systems on HeLa cell lines. The hybrid systems showed improved anticancer activity and thus could be used as a drug delivery candidate.