Polyglycerol/carbon nanotube supramolecules as anticancer drug delivery systems

A recent and significant technological development in the world of chemistry has been found application of nanotechnology to kill certain cancer cells [1]. Advanced drug delivery systems are designed and used to carry drugs selectively to targeted tissues and to release them with optimum rate, thus minimizing their toxic dose and reducing their side effects [2]. CNTs exhibit many unique intrinsic physical and chemical properties and have attracted considerable interest in this regard [3]. Poor water solubility of CNTs has been the greatest obstacle to their application as drug delivery systems [4]. Many functionalization routes have been developed in recent years to solubilize CNTs in aqueous solutions and therefore improve their biocompatibility for biological applications. In this work, pH sensitive supramolecular systems consisting of carbon nanotube-graft-pyrene (CNT-graft-PYR) and hyperbranched polyglycerol with β-cyclodextrin core (β-CD-graft-PG) were synthesized and characterized. Supramolecular systems (PG/CNT/S) were able to load and transport doxorubicin in aqueous solutions.