Boron/Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nano-Onions as Nanocarriers for Targeted Breast Cancer Therapy
January 2025
in “
Nanoscale
”
Studysummary This study reports that a new boron/nitrogen-doped carbon nano-onion-based delivery system for doxorubicin enhanced its uptake and anticancer effects in specific cancer cell types, while reducing cardiotoxicity in human heart cells.
Our plain-language summary. Not medical advice or a treatment recommendation. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before changing treatment. Full disclaimer
This study investigates boron/nitrogen-doped carbon nano-onions (BN-CNOs) as nanocarriers for targeted breast cancer therapy, specifically for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The nanocarriers, functionalized with a hyaluronic acid/phospholipid conjugate (HA-DMPE), enhance the delivery of doxorubicin (DOX) to cancer cells, leveraging a pH-dependent release mechanism. The 20/100/120 wt% HA-DMPE/BN-CNO/DOX formulation achieved an 84% drug release efficiency and significantly improved DOX uptake and anticancer efficacy in CD44-expressing TNBC cell lines, reducing cell viability to 9% in MDA-MB-231 cells at 120 hours. This approach offers a promising alternative to current DOX treatments, with increased efficacy, stability, and reduced cardiotoxicity.
