Preparation and in Vitro Evaluation of Polymer Nanocomposite Based on Graphene/Dextran as a pH-Sensitive Nanocarrier for Delivery of Anticancer Drug.

The therapeutic efficiency of anticancer drugs can be improved by designing stimuli-responsive drug delivery system. In the current study, dextran as a hydrophilic polymer was connected to the surface of aminated graphene via pH-sensitive bond to prepare a novel pH-sensitive drug delivery system. Then, curcumin as a chemotherapy drug was loaded onto A-GO/Dex via π-π interactions and hydrogen bonds to prepare A-GO/Dex/Cur with high loading capacity for curcumin (14.9%). The samples were analyzed by various techniques including FT-IR, TGA, TEM, XRD and DLS. A-GO/Dex/Cur revealed a pH-dependent drug release profile and possessed higher cytotoxicity and significant anticancer effects on colon cancer cells as compare to free curcumin. The results indicated the prepared pH-responsive polymer nanocomposite could be used as a promising nanocarrier for curcumin delivery in therapy of colon cancer.