Glucose-derived carbon dots for targeted delivery of doxorubicin in cancer therapy†

In the present research work, a carbon-dot (CD)-based self-assembled drug delivery system for the delivery of doxorubicin in cancer cells was developed. CDs with a narrow size distribution were synthesized in a single step using a microwave-assisted method and were inherently functionalized with aldehyde functional groups. The anti-cancer drug doxorubicin (Dox) was conjugated with the CDs by forming acid-labile covalent and non-covalent interactions. Such conjugation was accomplished by forming hydrazide functionalized Dox (Dox-ADH) and its further conjugation with CDs (CDs-Dox-ADH). The conjugation causes the self-assembly of positively charged Dox on highly negatively charged CDs, which was characterized through various spectroscopic, microscopic, and cellular investigation techniques. The time-dependent rate kinetics and in vitro release studies suggest that the synthesized self-assembled conjugates were highly responsive to acidic pH and showed enhanced cytotoxicity towards cervical cancer cells.