title: Fluorescent graphene quantum dots as traceable, pH-sensitive drug delivery systems.
abstract: Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) were rationally fabricated as a traceable drug delivery system for the targeted, pH-sensitive delivery of a chemotherapeutic drug into cancer cells. The GQDs served as fluorescent carriers for a well-known anticancer drug, doxorubicin (Dox). The whole system has the capacity for simultaneous tracking of the carrier and of drug release. Dox release is triggered upon acidification of the intracellular vesicles, where the carriers are located after their uptake by cancer cells. Further functionalization of the loaded carriers with targeting moieties such as arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptides enhanced their uptake by cancer cells. DU-145 and PC-3 human prostate cancer cell lines were used to evaluate the anticancer ability of Dox-loaded RGD-modified GQDs (Dox-RGD-GQDs). The results demonstrated the feasibility of using GQDs as traceable drug delivery systems with the ability for the pH-triggered delivery of drugs into target cells.
authors.affiliation: Center of Bio and Micro/Nano Functional Materials, State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jichuan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.affiliation: Blood Purification Center, Jinan Central Hospital, Shandong University School of Medicine, Jinan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ruibin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Center of Bio and Micro/Nano Functional Materials, State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jianhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Center of Bio and Micro/Nano Functional Materials, State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yuanhua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathogenic Biology, Shandong University School of Medicine, Jinan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chemistry, Rovira i Virgili University, Tarragona, Spain.
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rivera Gil
authors.affiliation: Center of Bio and Micro/Nano Functional Materials, State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, People's Republic of China ; Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000494:pharmacology; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods*; D065546:Drug Liberation; D005453:Fluorescence; D006108:Graphite / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007700:Kinetics; D051379:Mice; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D055620:Optical Phenomena; D045663:Quantum Dots / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D009842:Oligopeptides; D006108:Graphite; C047981:arginyl-glycyl-aspartic acid; D004317:Doxorubicin
keywords: controlled release; drug delivery; graphene quantum dots; pH-sensitive; traceable