Poly-β-Cyclodextrin-coated neodymium-containing copper sulphide nanoparticles as an effective anticancer drug carrier

This study aims at tuning the properties of the nanoparticles by incorporating neodymium, exploring the sustained release of drug, and the anticancer activity on breast cancer cells. The crystal characteristics of NdCuS2 nanoparticles are analysed using X-ray diffraction. The morphology and size of the nanoparticles were characterised using Transmission Electron Microscope and particle size analyser. The rate of release of the encapsulated camptothecin and anticancer effects on breast cancer cells are investigated. The nanoparticles are rod-shaped, 132 +/- 8 nm long and 27 +/- 7 nm wide. The band gap of the nanoparticles is 4.85 eV. The drug encapsulation efficiency is 94.76% (w/w). The drug is released in a sustained manner, over a period of 180 h. The cytotoxicity of the camptothecin-loaded NPs is examined on MDA-MB-231 cells and the IC50 is 4.39 mu g mL(-1). The NdCuS2 nanoparticles are promising as theranostic agents considering their material characteristics and anticancer activity.

Automated summary

This study aims to tune the properties of nanoparticles by incorporating neodymium and investigate their anticancer activity on breast cancer cells. The results show that NdCuS2 nanoparticles exhibit good crystal characteristics and high drug encapsulation efficiency, can sustainably release drugs, and exhibit cytotoxicity on breast cancer cells. Therefore, these nanoparticles are promising theranostic agents for treatment and diagnosis.