Folic acid based carbon dot functionalized stearic acid-g-polyethyleneimine amphiphilic nanomicelle: Targeted drug delivery and imaging for triple negative breast cancer

Development of advanced therapeutic modalities for the treatment of cancer are become a thirst area in the field of biomedical science now a day. Current therapeutic approaches to treat this fatal disease always refer to partial curability with unavoidable obstacles. Here, we have developed stearic-g-polyethyleneimine acid amphiphilic nanomicelle functionalized with folic acid-based carbon dots (CDs) for targeted anticancer drug (doxorubicin, DOX) delivery and concurrent bio-imaging for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Developed nanomicelle was characterized by FTIR, XRD, H-1 NMR, fluorescence spectroscopy, TEM etc. Highest DOX release from the nanomicelle was observed at slightly acidic pH. It was also found that the nanomicelle can be successfully internalized by the MDA-MB-231 cells and able to inhibit cell proliferation. The IC50 value by free DOX against TNBC was around 10 mu g/mL, whereas, DOX loaded CD functionalized stearic-g-polyethyleneimine (25 kDa) (DOX-CDSP-25) showed similar cytotoxicity on TNBC at the concentration of only 1.0 mu g/mL, indicating the efficiency of the delivery system compared to that of free DOX. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed the effect of DOX-CDSP-25 on MDA-MB-231 cellular morphology in 24 h. Along with, the fluorescence property offered by folic acid derived CD allowed CDSP-25 to be acted as a promising bio-imaging tool for TNBC.

Automated summary

The development of a folate-based carbon dot functionalized nanomicelle for targeted drug delivery and bio-imaging in triple negative breast cancer shows promising potential for efficient treatment. The nanomicelle demonstrated successful internalization by cancer cells and inhibited cell proliferation effectively, indicating its superiority over free drug counterparts. Moreover, the fluorescence property offered by the folic acid derived carbon dots highlights its potential as a bio-imaging tool for cancer diagnosis and treatment.