Adsorption behavior of epirubicin hydrochloride on carboxylated carbon nanotubes

The aim of this study was to understand the interaction between carboxylated carbon nanotubes (c-CNTs) and anticancer agents and evaluate the drug-loading ability of c-CNTs. We prepared carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (c-MWNTs) with nitric acid treatment, then evaluated the adsorption ability of c-MWNTs as adsorbents for loading of the anticancer drug, epirubicin hydrochloride (EPI), and investigated the adsorption behavior of EPI on c-MWNTs. Unmodified multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were included as comparative adsorbents. The results showed that carbon nanotubes were able to form supramolecular complexes with EPI via π–π stacking and possessed favorable loading properties as drug carriers. The Freundilich adsorption model was successfully employed to describe the adsorption process. Because of the high surface area and hydrogen bonding, c-MWNTs’ adsorption efficiency was the highest and the most stable and their drug-loading capacity was superior to that of MWNTs. With the increase of pH, the adsorption capacity of EPI on the c-MWNTs increased. Low-temperature facilitated the adsorption. More rapid EPI adsorption rate and higher drug-loading ability were observed from c-MWNTs with smaller diameter. Moreover, the adsorption kinetics of EPI on c-MWNTs could be well depicted by using the pseudo-second-order kinetic model.

Compared with MWNTs and SWNTs, c-MWNTs exhibit the highest adsorption efficiency, which could also stay stable with the increasing EPI concentration.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide