One of the finest ways for performing targeted medicine administration and reducing patient side effects is to use drug delivery systems. Two-dimensional (2D) materials have the highest specific surface area of all known materials since they are the thinnest, and they can be employed as vast reservoirs and anchor points for the efficient loading and distribution of medicines. Furthermore, by integrating their superior physicochemical, optical, and electrical features with cell imaging, chemotherapeutic, photothermal (PPT), and photodynamic (PDT) therapies, they can be used to construct smart drug delivery systems.
Alfa Chemistry is a leader in the field of 2D materials research and development, and we can provide specific 2D material solutions to match our customers' needs. Please contact us right away if you need assistance with drug delivery application research.
Our Materials Research
Surface characteristics of 2D materials play an essential role in successful drug delivery in drug delivery applications.
Graphene Materials (GMs)
GMs are the first 2D materials that we have explored as carriers for drug delivery systems by exploiting their surface properties.
- Graphene's surface is rich in off-domain surface electrons, which can be exploited to deliver insoluble medicines effectively via hydrophobic interactions and - stacking.
- Because of its vast surface area, it can be functionalized in a high-density manner using both covalent and non-covalent techniques, resulting in increased drug loading.
- Graphene oxide GO has a greater range of reactive and functionalization possibilities due to the inclusion of carboxyl, epoxy, and hydroxyl groups.
- Because of the sp2 and sp3 heterocarbon structural domains in the structure, the surface of GO is both hydrophobic and hydrophilic, giving it good water dispersibility, biocompatibility, and high affinity for specific medicinal molecules.
- Graphene possesses more sp2 heterocarbon domains and has a greater NIR absorbance, which is advantageous for PPT and PDT applications.
MoS2 Material
In combination with PPT and PDT, the TMD material MoS2 shows a lot of promise in drug delivery systems. This is owing to the fact that monolayer MoS2 has a 7.8 times higher NIR absorbance than GO. Furthermore, because MoS2 features unsaturated d orbitals, chemically active edge defects, and sulfur vacancies that can serve as sites for the introduction of functional groups and ligands, its surface chemistry is rich in functionalization properties.
However, MoS2 exhibits low serum stability and inefficient intracellular delivery. Alfa Chemistry can functionalize the surface of MoS2 with biocompatible materials and/or biomolecules to alleviate these difficulties, improve biocompatibility, and further minimize cytotoxicity.
h-BN Materials
h-BN is another ideal 2D material that has piqued our curiosity. Surface chemical inertness, multilayer surface porosity, high specific surface area, low toxicity, and high thermal conductivity are only a few of its advantages.
Fig 1. Schematic illustration of the processes of exfoliation, drug loading and drug release for dual pH-/temperature-responsive BN/A-PPG nanosheets. (Cheng C, et al. 2019)
2D Material Solutions
Alfa Chemistry can provide or customize a variety of 2D materials for antimicrobial and antifouling surface applications. Besides GMs, MoS2, and h-BN, many other 2D materials have been used for this purpose based on the combination of drug delivery and PPT-PDT processes, mainly with strong light absorption in the near-infrared region.
| 2D Material | Surface Properties | Efficiency |
|---|
| rGO | Hydrophobic surface; π-π stacking interactions at the surface | Delivery of doxorubicin (DOX) with a maximal loading rate of 98% at pH 9 |
| MXenes-Ti3C2 | Thermal conductivity; high near-infrared absorption | Delivery of DOX with a high loading capacity of 84.2% and stimuli responsive DOX releasing performance mediated by pH and a NIR laser. |
| BP | Thermal conductivity, high near-infrared absorption | Delivery of fluoxetine by irradiation of NIR light (808 nm); the fluoxetine loading capacity onto BP of 700%; the released capacity of 90% of fluoxetine with NIR for 30 min |
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Reference
- Cheng C, et al. (2019). "Dual Stimuli-Responsive Supramolecular Boron Nitride with Tunable Physical Properties for Controlled Drug Delivery." Nanoscale. 11: 10393-10401.
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