Abstract:
Leukemia continues to pose a significant health challenge with an escalating incidence
worldwide. Effective drug delivery mechanisms are pivotal for successful leukemia treatment,
with nanotechnology pioneering ground-breaking advancements in this field. Carbon based
Nanomaterials have exhibited promising potential in leukemia theragnostic. Our research
focused on synthesizing Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and Multi walled carbon nanotubes
(MWCNTs) using chemical methods, followed by their ex-situ doping with Zinc oxide (ZnO)
and Copper oxide (CuO) Nanoparticles. These Metal Oxides-Carbon nanomaterial
nanocomposites were then conjugated with the widely used chemotherapeutic agent,
doxorubicin, to evaluate the efficiency of drug delivery. Comprehensive characterization
employing UV/VIS, SEM, XRD, and FTIR analyses confirmed the successful synthesis of
Metal Oxides-Carbon nanomaterial nanocomposites. Morphologically, the synthesized Metallic
oxide nanoparticles exhibited a spherical shape with a size ranging between 75-130 nm.
Biocompatibility of bare nanoparticles and nanocomposites were assessed through hemolysis
and MTT assays which revealed their potential for diverse biomedical applications. The
hemolytic assay showed that coated ZnO-MWCNTs and ZnO-RGO nanocomposites showed
least hemolysis with a percentage of 3.83% and 3.44% as compared to the bare ones. The
cytotoxicity assay, specifically with the RGO/ZnO exhibits the highest cell viability ranging
from 91% at 0.5 μg/ml to 82% at 4 μg/ml—indicating it only enhancing the drug activity but
also optimizing drug delivery by working as an efficient carrier. This enhancement in
cytotoxicity, substantiated by specific performance metrics, highlighted the superior
performance of the ZnO-RGO nanocomposite. In considering the clinical implications, the
findings suggest a transformative role for these nanocomposites in leukemia treatment, offering
targeted and sustained drug delivery, with translational aspects that could redefine therapeutic
interventions.
