Synthesis of pH-responsive hollow molecularly imprinted polymers for enhanced doxorubicin delivery in cancer therapy

Abstract

Doxorubicin (DOX) is a widely used chemotherapeutic agent effective against various cancers, but is often limited by significant side effects and poor bioavailability. This study presents the synthesis of a novel hollow molecularly imprinted polymer (H-MIP) as a pH-responsive nanocarrier for enhanced DOX delivery, utilizing an innovative approach that incorporates metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as a supportive matrix within a green solvent environment. Comprehensive characterization of the materials was performed using an array of analytical techniques, including XRD, SEM, FT-IR, TEM, DLS, TGA, and zeta potential measurement. The resulting nanocarriers exhibited exceptional drug-loading capacity and demonstrated a pH-sensitive release profile, with significant DOX release observed under acidic conditions mimicking the tumor microenvironment (pH 5, 41 °C) compared to normal physiological conditions (pH 7.4, 37 °C). Additionally, in vitro cytotoxicity assessments on MCF-7 breast cancer cells revealed substantial cytotoxic effects of the DOX-loaded H-MIPs, with an IC50 value of 2 µg/mL. The obtained results highlight the potential of the synthesized H-MIP as an effective and intelligent drug delivery system, capable of improving the therapeutic efficacy of DOX while minimizing adverse effects associated with conventional chemotherapy.