Doxorubicin loaded carboxymethyl cellulose/graphene quantum dot nanocomposite hydrogel films as a potential anticancer drug delivery system

Highlights: • GQDs nanoparticles were successfully embedded on the CMC hydrogel films. • CMC/GQD has high loading and prolonged release for DOX in comparison with pure CMC. • DOX loaded CMC/GQD has a pH-sensitive drug delivery property. • Blank CMC/GQD showed non-significant toxicity against blood cancer cells (K562). • DOX loaded CMC/GQD exhibited an effective apoptotic cells. - Abstract: Creating anticancer properties in the hydrogel film could make it as a candidate for treating cancer tissues. In this work, a novel hydrogel nanocomposite films with anticancer properties were designed via incorporation of graphene quantum dot (GQD) as a nanoparticle into carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) hydrogel and using doxorubicin (DOX) as drug model with broad-spectrum anticancer properties. Drug release studies carried out at two different pHs and the MTT assay was evaluated for DOX-loaded CMC/GQD nanocomposite hydrogel films against blood cancer cells (K562). The prepared nanocomposite hydrogel films were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), UV–Vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), permeability and mechanical properties. The prepared CMC/GQD nanocomposite hydrogel films showed an improvement in vitro swelling, degradation, water vapor permeability and pH-sensitive drug delivery properties along with not significant toxicity against blood cancer cells (K562). According to the obtained results, this nanocomposite hydrogel films can be proposed to use as an anticancer film and drug delivery system.