Impact of graphene oxide functionalized with doxorubicin on viability of mouse hepatoma MH-22A cells

The evaluation of the cyto- and bio-compatibility is a critical step in the development of graphene oxide (GO) as a new promising material for in vivo biomedical applications. In this study, we report the impact of GO, with and without the addition of bovine serum albumin and anticancer drug- doxorubicin (DOX) on cancer (mouse hepatoma MH-22A) cells viability and the estimation of the intracellular distribution of GO inside the cells in vitro. The viability tests were performed using a colony formation assay. The intracellular distribution of GO was estimated using Raman spectroscopy and imaging. It was found that the functionalized GO with doxorubicin strengthens Doxorubicin, as anticancer drug effect. Therefore, it was revealed that a statistically significant result - the viability of MH-22A cells was approx. 20% lower than using DOX separately (from 57% to 79%, respectively). The results of viability tests correlate with results of atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy and imaging findings.