The structural and surface properties of Al-doped hydroxyapatite (Ca5(PO4)3OH) nanorods and their applications for pH-induced drug delivery

In this paper, we reported Al-doped hydroxyapatite (Al-HAp) nanorods with surface functionalization of hyaluronic acid (HA) for pH-responsive delivery of doxorubicin (DOX) for cancer treatment. The specific surface area and the crystal structure of both HAp and Al-HAp are studied. It is learned that the HAp and Al-HAp have similar crystal structures, but Al-HAp shows 10% larger specific surface area than HAp, which results in 30% higher DOX loading capacity than HAp nanorods, due to the increased surface area and enlarged pore size by Al doping. Moreover, the DOX loaded Al-HAp/HA was highly pH-responsive and exhibited outstanding biocompatibility and significantly enhanced anti-cancer killing effects. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study utilized Al-doped hydroxyapatite nanorods with hyaluronic acid surface functionalization for pH-responsive delivery of doxorubicin in cancer treatment. The Al-HAp showed a 10% larger specific surface area and 30% higher doxorubicin loading capacity compared to HAp due to increased surface area and pore size from Al doping, resulting in outstanding biocompatibility and enhanced anti-cancer effects.