Synthesis, characterization and in vitro photodynamic study of FA-TiO2 nanocomposite

In this paper, Folic acid (FA) modified TiO2 nanocomposite (FA-TiO2) was prepared by a facile adsorption-incubation method. The as-synthesized FA-TiO2 was spherical with an average diameter of 20 nm. It was found that FA-TiO2 exhibited excellent biocompatibility in FR(-) HepG-2 cells. In contrast, photodynamic FA-TiO2 was more effective on killing FR(+) SGC-7901 cells, suggesting significant anticancer effects on FR(+) cells. The optimal photodynamic effect was obtained when modified proportion was 0.6 (FA:TiO2), the amount of FA-TiO2 was 150 μg/mL, and the illumination time was 30 min. Targeting studies indicated that FA-TiO2 could be selectively transported into FR (+) SGC-7901 cells. Data from flow cytometry revealed that the cell cycle arrest and the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) collapse were the possible mechanisms involved in the photodynamic properties of FA-TiO2. Overall, the results obtained may provide a new sight for anticancer treatment.