Folic Acid-Functionalized Albumin/Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite to Simultaneously Deliver Curcumin and 5-Fluorouracil into Human Colorectal Cancer Cells - An In Vitro Study

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Jake

Graphene-based nanoparticles are widely explored for drug delivery, while folate receptors are strongly expressed on tumor cell surfaces. This study constructs a folic-acid modified codelivery system (GO-Alb-Cur-FA-5FU) to enhance the effects of 5-fluorouracil and curcumin on colon cancer. HUVEC and HT-29 cells evaluate antitumor activity, with structural characterization by FTIR, XRD, TEM, and DLS. Fluorescence assays (Annexin V/PI) and MTT cytotoxicity compare combined delivery versus free drugs, showing higher apoptosis and inhibitory efficacy for the nanocomposite.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Background

Materials and Methods

Cell models and evaluations

Structural characterization and assays

Results

Conclusion

Introduction

Hindawi BioMed Research International Volume 2023, Article ID 8334102, 11 pages [https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/8334102](https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/8334102) Research Article Folic Acid-Functionalized Albumin/Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite to Simultaneously Deliver Curcumin and 5-Fluorouracil into Human Colorectal Cancer Cells: An In Vitro Study Hassan Bardania , 1 Farajollah Jafari,2 Marzieh Baneshi,3 Reza Mahmoudi, 1 Maryam Tajali Ardakani, 1 Farshad Safari,2 and Mehrzad Jafari Barmak 1 1Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran 2Student Research Committee, Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran 3Department of Chemistry, Cape Breton University, 1250 Grand Lake Road, Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada B1P 6L2 Correspondence should be addressed to Mehrzad Jafari Barmak; [mehrzadj14@gmail.com](mehrzadj14@gmail.com) Received 19 November 2022; Revised 3 April 2023; Accepted 12 May 2023; Published 31 May 2023 Academic Editor: Fu-Ming Tsai Copyright © 2023 Hassan Bardania et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Background. Nowadays, due to various inherent properties, graphene-based nanoparticles are widely used in drug delivery research. On the other hand, folate receptors are highly expressed on the surface of human tumor cells. In this work, to enhance the 5-ﬂuorouracil (5FU) and curcumin (Cur) eﬀects on colon cancer, we constructed a folic acid- (FA-) modiﬁed codelivery carrier based on graphene nanoparticles (GO-Alb-Cur-FA-5FU) . Materials and Methods. The HUVEC and HT-29 were selected for evaluating the antitumor eﬀect of the prepared nanocarriers. The structure of nanocarriers was characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diﬀraction analysis, TEM microscopy, and a DLS analyzer. The eﬃciency of the prepared carrier was evaluated by ﬂuorescence microscopy using Annexin V and the PI kit. The cytotoxicity of the carrier’s component individually and the eﬃcacy of the drug carrier GO-Alb-Cur-FA-5FU were assessed by MTT. Results. The results of the pharmacological tests indicated that the new nanoparticles cause increased apparent toxicity in HT-29 cells. The apoptosis rate of the HT-29 and HUVEC cells treated with IC50 values of GO-Alb-Cur-FA-5FU for 48h was higher than the cells treated with IC50 values of 5FU and Cur individually, which indicated the greater inhibitory eﬃcacy of GO-Alb-Cur-FA-5FU than free drugs. Conclusion. The designed GO-Alb-CUR-FA-5FU delivery system can be applied for targeting colon cancer cells and can be severe as a potential candidate for future drug development. 1. Introduction Colon cancer, known as one of the most devastating diseases, causes cell disorders, genetic changes, and a signiﬁcant mortality rate subsequently [1, 2] . Based on the statics, colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States [3, 4] . Colorectal cancer starts in the innermost layer (the mucosa) and can grow outward through some or all of the other layers [5, 6] . When cancer cells proliferate in the wall, they can attack blood and lym- phatic vessel lymph nodes, or distant parts of the body [7–9] . Various agents could be used to treat this disease including 5-ﬂuorouracil (5FU) and curcumin (Cur)[10–12] . As a cytotoxic antimetabolic drug and also a chemotherapy agent, 5FU competes with the thymidine synthesis enzyme. The use of this conventional and chemical anticancer agent has been limited due to these drugs eﬀectson cells nonspeciﬁcally. To overcome this barrier, a targeted drug delivery system which includes the drug, carrier, and target linker has been used. The biological behavior of the 2 BioMed Research International carrier and its linker determines its absorption, distribution, and metabolization. Therefore, a c

FAQs

What delivery system was designed for colorectal cancer targeting?

The study designed a folic-acid modified codelivery carrier based on graphene nanoparticles, labeled GO-Alb-Cur-FA-5FU, to deliver curcumin and 5-fluorouracil together.

Which cell lines were used to evaluate antitumor effects?

HUVEC and HT-29 were selected to assess the antitumor effect of the prepared nanocarriers.

How did GO-Alb-Cur-FA-5FU perform compared with free 5FU and curcumin?

Cells treated with GO-Alb-Cur-FA-5FU showed a higher apoptosis rate than cells treated with IC50 values of 5FU and curcumin individually, indicating stronger inhibitory efficacy.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Jake