PEGAylated graphene oxide/superparamagnetic nanocomposite as a high-efficiency loading nanocarrier for controlled delivery of methotrexate

Polymer-coated nanocarriers play an important role in targeted drug delivery. The use of polymers such as polyethylene glycol increases stability, biocompatibility, and blood circulation time of the drug, and may consequently improve the success of drug delivery. In the present work, a simple approach has been reported for synthesizing polyethylene glycol bis amin (PEGA) functionalized graphene oxide/iron oxide nanocomposite as a remarkable unit for loading drugs. The biomedical applications of the synthesized nanocomposite were investigated by immobilizing methotrexate (MTX), as an anticancer drug. The structural and morphological characteristics and the successful synthesis of the nanocomposite were evaluated by different charachterization techniques. The cytotoxicity assay of the nanocarrier showed higher toxicity against HeLa and MCF-7 cell lines, compared to free MTX. The drug release experiments in acidic and physiological conditions suggested the first order kinetics model for the release of MTX from the nanocomposite. Furthermore, the agglutination, complement activation, and coagulation time experiments demonstrated the blood compatibility of the synthesized nanocarrier.