Construction of a tungsten trioxide modified smart-polymers as a NIR-responsive platform for photo-thermal therapy on hepatocellular cancer

Abstract

Cancer remains a predominant contributor to both mortality and morbidity on a global scale, with over 10 million new cases diagnosed annually. The aim of this work was to prepare and evaluate erlotinib hydrochloride loaded tungsten trioxide modified with smart polymers for their anticancer potential. The morphology, crystallinity, chemical bonding, and thermal behavior of the nanoadsorbent were characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analyses. The optimization of the drug on the synthesized adsorbent was investigated utilizing response surface methodology-central composite design. The maximum sorption efficiency of 90.18 % was achieved at the initial drug concentration of 32.82 mg L⁻¹, a pH of 8.17, a temperature of 32.93 °C, and a contact time of 16.08 min. The drug sorption process follows the Langmuir isotherm and it displays pseudo-first-order kinetics. The nanocarrier showed a significant release profile for 6 h with a maximum release percentage of 99.81 % in simulated cancer fluid at high temperatures. The nanocarrier showed low drug release without near-infrared laser irradiation and a rapid release rate over 15 min of near-infrared laser irradiation. The drug release properties fit the Korsmeyer-Peppas model, with a diffusion exponent indicative of both diffusion and erosion release mechanisms. In-vitro cytotoxicity of the nanocarrier in normal cells indicated that it had no significant cytotoxicity. The cytotoxicity of the nanocarrier in Hep-G2 hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines was evaluated by MTT assay, and the data showed that the nanocarrier has excellent cytotoxic activity (75.45 %).