Innovative approaches to cancer treatment are constantly being explored, with recent research focusing on the potential of graphene quantum dot-hyaluronic acid-quinoline nanocomposites (GQD-HA-Qu NCs) to selectively target cancer cells.
This novel approach was investigated by researchers led by Mozhgan Soltani, who assessed the efficacy of these nanocomposites against several cancer cell lines, including MCF-7 (breast), HT-29 (colorectal), A2780 (ovarian), PANC-1 (pancreatic), and HeLa (cervical) cells.
The synthesis of GQD-HA-Qu NCs involved using dynamic light scattering (DLS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to characterize their properties. The DLS assay measured their particle size at 224.96 nm, establishing successful synthesis with consistent dimensions.
Significant findings emerged from the MTT assays, which indicated marked cytotoxicity across all tested cell lines, especially with MCF-7 and A2780 cells exhibiting pronounced sensitivity (P < 0.001). Flow cytometry analyses substantiated these results, showing increased late apoptosis at higher concentrations of GQD-HA-Qu NCs.
Key to the mechanism of action, the gene expression analyses via real-time PCR demonstrated significant upregulation of p53, corroborated by the observation of no substantial changes for caspases 8 and 9. This suggests the prominent role of the p53 pathway in mediulating the GQD-HA-Qu NCs-induced apoptosis.
The potential therapeutic impact of GQD-HA-Qu NCs is noteworthy; their selective cytotoxicity against diverse cancer cell types, coupled with their antioxidant capabilities, suggests promising application as treatment modalities.
These findings align with previous work by Ghanbari et al. (2024) and highlight the improvement of antibody-drug conjugates when employing nanocomposites.
The study's findings have broad implications for future cancer treatments. The capability of GQD-HA-Qu NCs to effectively target cancer cells and execute apoptosis through modulation of biological pathways offers insights for developing antibody-drug conjugates and other targeted therapies.
Despite promising results, the study also cautioned about limitations related to using solely cell lines, urging future research to encompass varied environmental conditions and longer-term observational studies.
Conclusively, GQD-HA-Qu NCs present as viable candidates for targeted cancer therapies, opening pathways for enhanced efficacy and specificity when addressing oncological challenges.