Single-walled carbon nanotube and graphene: Nano-delivery of Gambogic acid increases its cytotoxicty in various cancer cells

Nanomedicine is a new branch of medicine that has been developed due to the critical need to treat challenging diseases, especially cancer since it remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and the second most common cause of death after heart disease in the USA. One of the most important health care applications of nanomedicine concerns the development of drug delivery systems. Graphene (Gn), an atom-thick carbon monolayer of sp2- bonded carbon atoms arranged in a two dimensional (2D) honeycomb crystal lattice, and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) (1D, tubular) are among the most promising nanomaterials with the capability of delivering drugs or small therapeutic molecules to cancerous cells. For example, they have been used as vehicles for the anti-cancer, low-toxicity drug Gambogic acid (GA).;Here, the cytotoxicity of GA in breast (MCF-7), pancreatic (PANC-1), cervical (HELA), ovarian (NCI/ADR), and prostate (PC3) cancer cells was assessed to determine what effect nanodelivery by either Gn or SWCNTs had on the efficacy of this promising drug. The nanomaterials showed no toxicity at the concentrations used. The inhibition of cell proliferation and apoptosis of the cells was due to the effects of GA which was significantly enhanced by nanodelivery. Such delivery of GA by either Gn or SWCNTs represents a first step toward assessing their effectiveness in more complex, targeted nano-delivery in vivo settings and signals their potential application in the treatment of cancer.