Graphene oxide functionalized with polyamidoamine dendrimer as a drug delivery system for human breast cells

The use of nanomaterials as drug carriers is an interesting area of research in the biomedical field due to their high efficiency and the potential for improved drug delivery systems. In this study, doxorubicin (DOX) is loaded onto the surface of graphene oxide (GOX) functionalized with Polyamidoamine Dendrimer amine-terminated generation 3, (PAMAM), covalently bound via amide formation between the peripheral amine groups of the dendrimers and the carboxyl groups present in GOX. We conducted multiple experiments to assess the efficacy of these treatments on human breast cells. The particles were characterized using Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Raman spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). GOX + PAMAM (GOXP) showed an average diameter of 166 ± 118 nm, a positive surface charge (+7.5 mV), and a clustered organization with sheets of varying sizes. GOXP was located close to the cell nuclei. DOX was released from GOXP, with the release gradually increasing over time, leading to progressively reduced cell viability with extended exposure. Notably, the GOXP+DOX combination resulted in a significantly greater decrease in viability in tumor cell lines (MCF-7 and Hs578T) compared to free DOX. These results highlight the strong potential of GOXP+DOX as an effective and safe drug delivery system.