Abstract
Our overall research goal is to synthesize a water-soluble, bio-absorbable theranostic nanoparticle (NP) that will improve diagnostic and therapeutic efficacy for cancer. Such theranostic nanoparticles are composed of carbon dots (CDs), conjugated with a targeting agent through a non-cleavable peptide bond; and an anticancer drug Doxorubicin (DOX) using an acid-labile hydrazine linkage for targeted delivery and bio-imaging functions. Recent studies have shown that Carbon dots (CDs) are of interest in biological applications due to their unique properties such as inherent fluorescence, extremely high biocompatibility, and facile synthetic route. The large surface area and multiple surface functionalities make CDs versatile platforms to conjugate with other moieties, including therapeutic agents or targeting agents. The target agents, such as folic acid (FA), are proposed to be permanently linked with CDs to improve the target specificity of the tumor cells. Folic acid is used as a targeting agent as it is a water-soluble, low molecular weight vitamin as it plays an essential role in cell survival and binds with high affinity to the folate receptor (FR) – a membrane-anchored protein that is a cancer biomarker. The multimodal nano-platforms of CDs can also facilitate the delivery the anticancer drugs. The anticancer drug is attached by a cleavable linker that can release the drug inside the tumor cell. We will use the cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin (DOX) as an example. One series of CDs, FA-CD and FA-CD-DOX, are successfully prepared in the lab. The UV-vis and Fluorescence spectra of the sample was investigated and compared. The concentration of each part in nanoparticles are calculated. The final Drug Load Content (DLC) and Drug Load Efficiency (DLE) are also calculated and compared with the literature. Another series of FA-CD-DOX will be prepared and compared. The characterization of the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of the NP particles will be carried out in the pharmaceutical department.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ETSU/oai:dc.etsu.edu:asrf-1470 |
| Date | 12 April 2019 |
| Creators | Dada, Samson Niyi |
| Publisher | Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University |
| Source Sets | East Tennessee State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | Appalachian Student Research Forum |
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