Deborah Mattinzoli, Michele Cacioppo, Masami Ikehata, Silvia Armelloni, Carlo Maria Alfieri, Giuseppe Castellano, Mario Barilani, Francesca Arcudi, Piergiorgio Messa, Maurizio Prato
Irinotecan (CTP-11) is one of the standard therapies for colorectal cancer (CRC). CTP-11 is enzymatically converted to the hydrophobic 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN38), a one hundred-fold more active metabolite. Conjugation of hydrophobic anticancer drugs to nanomaterials is a strategy to improve their solubility, efficacy, and selectivity. Carbon dots (CDs) have garnered interest for their small sizes (<10 nm), low toxicity, high water solubility, and bright fluorescence. This paper describes the use of CDs to improve drug vehiculation, stability, and chemotherapeutic efficiency of SN38 through a direct intracellular uptake in CRC...
December 2022: Materials today. Bio