Zn Al-layered double hydroxide nanocarriers for 5-Fluorouracil delivery: enhanced therapeutic efficacy against cervical cancer (HeLa Cells)

Abstract

Cancer is a global disease characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation of abnormal cells and has remained a major concern throughout human history. The uncontrolled division can be due to genetic mutation triggered by life style factor, environmental exposure and gene modification. Conventional chemotherapy uses strong drugs, such as anti-metabolite or anti-tumor drugs, for treatment. However, these drugs are known to have a number of adverse effects and may potentially damage healthy cells. The present study examines the efficacy of Zn-Al Layered Double Hydroxide in the delivery of anti-cancer drug 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) for cervical cancer treatment. The Zn-Al LDH was prepared by co-precipitation method and the drug 5-Fluorouracil was intercalated. The successful synthesis of Zn-Al LDH and 5-FU loaded LDH were studied using XRD, FT-IR, SEM, TEM and UV–Visible spectroscopic analysis. From the XRD analysis, the crystallite size and interlayer spacing was found to be 8.533 nm and 3.081 Å respectively. The incorporation of the 5-FU was confirmed by presence of C = O, C = N, C = C, C-O, C-N, C-F functional groups in the FTIR spectra. In the UV absorbance spectrum, the cutoff wavelength shifted from 408 nm to lower wavelength of 348 nm due to the presence of 5-FU. The MTT assay is used to study the cell metabolic activity and is a useful tool for assessing the viability and proliferation of cells. The drug 5-FU and the 5-FU intercalated LDH in the HeLa cell line (Cervical cancer) were subjected to an invitro MTT study. It was observed that Zn-Al LDH/5-FU treatment significantly decreased the cell viability of cancerous HeLa cells compared to the pure drug 5-FU.