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This research aims to develop a pH-sensitive drug delivery system using Ag-doped ZnO nanoparticles for Sorafenib.

March 13, 2026Open Access

Smart pH-triggered Ag doped ZnO nanostructure as a novel and versatile platform for efficient in vitro delivery of Sorafenib

Key Points

This research aims to develop a pH-sensitive drug delivery system using Ag-doped ZnO nanoparticles for Sorafenib.
Synthesis of ZnO, Ag, and Ag/ZnO nanoparticles using Aloe vera extract and chitosan.
Characterization of nanoparticles via SEM, FT-IR, TEM, XPS, DLS, BET, TGA, and XRD.
Investigation of Sorafenib loading capacity and release patterns at different pH levels.
Cytotoxicity assay conducted using HeLa cell line to determine effectiveness against cancer cells.
Achieved a Sorafenib loading capacity of approximately 89%.
Demonstrated pH-responsive release of Sorafenib: slow at pH 7.4 and rapid at pH 5.3.
Confirmed enhanced cytotoxicity of drug-loaded Ag/ZnO nanoparticles compared to free Sorafenib.

Abstract

It is well-known that ZnO and Ag nanoparticles as well as Sorafenib, chitosan and Aloe vera herbal plant have significant medical applications in hepatocellular carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, malignant melanoma, and in a range of cancers such as thyroid, non-small cell lung, metastatic breast, prostate, and pancreatic cancers. Therefore, designing a novel material with great pharmaceutical properties incorporating all the mentioned agents would bring an outstanding delivery system for Sorafenib with boosted therapeutic functions. This research presents a friendly approach for the green synthesis of ZnO, Ag, and Ag/ZnO nanoparticles by using the herbal plant Aloe vera extract incorporated with chitosan. Then, techniques such as SEM, FT-IR, TEM, XPS, DLS, BET, TGA, and XRD provided useful details on structure, morphology, chemical bonding, crystallinity, size-distribution, and preliminary surface properties of the synthesized Ag-doped ZnO nanoparticles. Thereafter, loading of Sorafenib was investigated on the prepared functionalized nanoparticle and results revealed a drug loading capacity around 89%, which could be influenced by pH and exposure duration. The release study showed a slow release-pattern at pH 7.4 and a rapid drug-release at pH 5.3 within 48 h, which indicates the pH-responsive behavior of Sorafenib-loaded functionalized material. This selective release profile could be beneficial for targeted drug delivery, potentially enhancing therapeutic efficacy while minimizing side effects. This investigation confirmed that with increasing drug concentration during the loading process, the hydrodynamic size of nanoparticles was slightly enhanced. Finally, a cytotoxicity assay was performed by using HeLa cell line to compare cytotoxicity of the free drug and drug-loaded Ag-doped ZnO, confirming a remarkable cytotoxicity of the drug-loaded Ag/ZnO compared to free drug against cancer cell line.

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