Hyaluronic acid-functionalized zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 nanoparticles: a one-pot synthesis approach for breast cancer therapy
Gaayatri Silvaraju, N. A. Johari, Azren Aida Asmawi, Rosniza Razali, Fatmawati Adam, Yan Loo Shan, Nurul Akmarina Mohd Abdul Kamal
Abstract
Effective breast cancer chemotherapy is hindered by dose-limiting systemic toxicity and off-target effects of conventional chemotherapeutics. Here we report a one-pot, surfactant-free solvothermal synthesis of hyaluronic acid-functionalized Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 nanoparticles (HA@nZIF-8). The physicochemical properties of both functionalized and non-functionalized nanoparticles were characterized using characterization techniques, including powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). SEM measured well-dispersed nanoparticles (93.5 ± 14.4 nm), whereas HR-TEM gave an average size of 127.3 ± 18.9 nm. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area was reduced by 30%, corresponding to a successful surface functionalization. The HA@nZIF-8 demonstrates inhibitory effects within human breast cancer cells, MCF-7 (IC 50 = 21.5 ± 3.8 µg mL −1 ), and is selectively toxic towards cancer cells with a selectivity index (SI) of 3.8. This work indicates that surface functionalization of ZIF-8 using hyaluronic acid (HA) promotes promising in vitro cytotoxic effects with selective activity toward MCF-7 cells.