title: Synthesis, characterization and in vitro evaluation of methotrexate conjugated fluorescent carbon nanoparticles as drug delivery system for human lung cancer targeting.
abstract: Nanotechnology based cancer therapeutics have rapidly advanced towards the solution of many limitations associated with other drug delivery agents such as nonspecific distribution within the body, low water solubility and non-biocompatibility. Carbon nanoparticles have demonstrated unique properties that are useful to combat with these issues, including their properties dependent on size, high stability in different solvents, compatible size for drug delivery and ease of surface modifications. Fluorescent carbon nanoparticles with good water solubility were obtained from a carbohydrate source by acid assisted ultrasonic treatment at 35kHz for 4h. This simple and economical method can be used for large scale production. Electron microscopic, spectroscopic and thermo gravimetric analysis techniques were used to characterize these carbon nanoparticles. Functionalized CNPs were further conjugated with anticancer drug-methotrexate and used as fluorescent nano-carriers. In this research work, we determined the in vitro bioactivity of CNPs-methotrexate conjugates by lactate dehydrogenase assay, cell adhesion assay and sulforhodamine B assay in human lung carcinoma cell line (H157). The CNPs showed promising biocompatibility and CNPs-MTX conjugates demonstrated potent cytotoxic effects and high anticancer activities in human lung cancer cell line.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ajmal
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan. Electronic address: uzma_yunus@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Uzma
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Yunus
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Lab Technology, University of Haripur, Haripur 22620, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Abdul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matin
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Comsats Institute of Information Technology, Lahore 54000, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Noaman Ul
authors.initials: NU
authors.lastname: Haq
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D012235:Rhodamines / Q000737:chemistry; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013818:Thermogravimetry
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004337:Drug Carriers; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D012235:Rhodamines; C022027:lissamine rhodamine B; D002244:Carbon; D008727:Methotrexate
keywords: Adhesion assay; Carbon nanoparticles–methotrexate conjugates; Fluorescent carbon nanoparticles; Lactate dehydrogenase assay; Lung carcinoma cells; Sulforhodamine B assay