Green Synthesized Montmorillonite/Carrageenan/Fe 3 O 4 Nanocomposites for pH-Responsive Release of Protocatechuic Acid and Its Anticancer Activity

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 21; no. 14
• Main Authors: Yew, Yen Pin, Shameli, Kamyar, Mohamad, Shaza Eva, Lee, Kar Xin, Teow, Sin-Yeang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland 09.07.2020
• Subjects: Antineoplastic Agents - chemistry; Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology; Bentonite - chemistry; Carrageenan - chemistry; Cell Line, Tumor; Colorectal Neoplasms - drug therapy; Drug Carriers - chemistry; Drug Delivery Systems - methods; Drug Liberation - drug effects; Ferric Compounds - chemistry; Ferrosoferric Oxide - chemistry; Green Chemistry Technology - methods; HCT116 Cells; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Hydroxybenzoates - chemistry; Hydroxybenzoates - pharmacology; Magnetite Nanoparticles - chemistry; Nanocomposites - chemistry; Particle Size; iron oxide; montmorillonite; carrageenan; Fe3O4 nanocomposites; drug delivery; anticancer; protocatechuic acid
• ISSN: 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms21144851

Discovery of a novel anticancer drug delivery agent is important to replace conventional cancer therapies which are often accompanied by undesired side effects. This study demonstrated the synthesis of superparamagnetic magnetite nanocomposites (Fe O -NCs) using a green method. Montmorillonite (MMT) was used as matrix support, while Fe O nanoparticles (NPs) and carrageenan (CR) were used as filler and stabilizer, respectively. The combination of these materials resulted in a novel nanocomposite (MMT/CR/Fe O -NCs). A series of characterization experiments was conducted. The purity of MMT/CR/Fe O -NCs was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) analysis revealed the uniform and spherical shape of Fe O NPs with an average particle size of 9.3 ± 1.2 nm. Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) analysis showed an M value of 2.16 emu/g with negligible coercivity which confirmed the superparamagnetic properties. Protocatechuic acid (PCA) was loaded onto the MMT/CR/Fe O -NCs and a drug release study showed that 15% and 92% of PCA was released at pH 7.4 and 4.8, respectively. Cytotoxicity assays showed that both MMT/CR/Fe O -NCs and MMT/CR/Fe O -PCA effectively killed HCT116 which is a colorectal cancer cell line. Dose-dependent inhibition was seen and the killing was enhanced two-fold by the PCA-loaded NCs (IC -0.734 mg/mL) compared to the unloaded NCs (IC -1.5 mg/mL). This study highlights the potential use of MMT/CR/Fe O -NCs as a biologically active pH-responsive drug delivery agent. Further investigations are warranted to delineate the mechanism of cell entry and cancer cell killing as well as to improve the therapeutic potential of MMT/CR/Fe O -NCs.