Polysaccharide Functionalized Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes as Nanocarriers for Delivery of Curcumin in Lung Cancer Cells

Nanoscale drug delivery systems have emerged as promising alternatives to overcome the problems associated with by conventional chemotherapy for cancer treatment such as poor drug stability and bio-distribution. Herein, we report a single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) based drug delivery system functionalized with polysaccharides such as alginate (ALG) and chitosan (CHI), which can be loaded with an anticancer drug curcumin (CUR). Modification of SWCNTs renders high drug loading efficiency and sustained drug release, imperative for drug activity. These were characterized through various tools viz, microscopic (transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy) and zeta potential analysis. Incorporation of CUR inside the modified SWCNTs was studied through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, fluorescence and UV-visible spectroscopy. In vitro release studies were conducted to gain an insight into the pH-dependent release behavior of the entrapped CUR from modified SWCNTs. The anti-cancer potential was further demonstrated using human lung adenocarcinoma (A549) cells as a model system. Various cell culture based assays were performed to study the ability of released CUR from modified SWCNTs for inhibiting the cancer cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis.