Synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials constructed from fluorescent coordination polymers for skin cancer therapy

Abstract

Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers and is on the rise globally. Prevention is the key to minimizing deaths from skin cancer. Development of effective drugs is a high priority. This study successfully synthesized two coordination polymers (CPs) with excellent fluorescence properties, designated as CP1 and CP2, and characterized their structures using X-ray single crystal diffraction. Based on these findings, CP1 and CP2 were cross-linked with sodium alginate to load the typical drug Odomzo, forming NaAlg@1-Odomzo and NaAlg@2-Odomzo. This design not only increased the encapsulation efficiency of Odomzo but also enhanced its biocompatibility. The physicochemical structure of the new systems was extensively characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Subsequently, a series of biological experiments were conducted to evaluate the potential value of the new systems in cancer treatment. Treatment of skin cancer cells with the systems significantly inhibited their proliferation. To further explore the potential therapeutic mechanism, we examined the expression levels of CCND1. The results showed that CCND1 expression was significantly downregulated after systems treatment. Both drug delivery systems were able to inhibit the proliferation of skin cancer cells by downregulating the expression of CCND1.