The Structure-Dependent Electric Release and Enhanced Oxidation of Drug in Graphene Oxide-Based Nanocarrier Loaded with Anticancer Herbal Drug Berberine

The aim of the current investigation is to explore graphene oxide (GO) special electric and electrochemical properties in modulating and tuning drug delivery in tumor special environment of electrophysiology. The electric-sensitive drug release and redox behavior of GO-bearing berberine (Ber) was studied. Drug release in cell potential was applied in a designed electrode system: tumor environment was simulated at pH 6.2 with 0.1 V pulse voltage, whereas the normal was at pH 7.4 with 0.2 V. Quite different from the pH-depended profile, the electricity-triggered behavior indicated a high correlation with the carriers' structure: GO-based nanocomposite showed a burst release on its special “skin effect,” whereas the PEGylated ones released slowly owing to the electroviscous effect of polymer. Cyclic voltammetry was used to investigate the redox behaviors of colloid PEGylated GO toward absorbed Ber in pH 5.8 and 7.2 solutions. After drug loading, the oxidation of Ber was enhanced in a neutral environment, whereas the enhancement of PEG-GO was in an acidic one, which means a possible increased susceptibility of their biotransformation in vivo. The studies designed in this work may help to establish a kind of carrier system for the sensitive delivery and metabolic regulation of drugs according to the different electrophysiological environment in tumor therapy. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 104:2489-2500, 2015