Evaluation of glycol chitosan-graft-carboxymethyl β-cyclodextrin as potential pH-sensitive anticancer drug carrier by surface plasmon resonance

Abstract

A novel pH-sensitive anticancer drug carrier glycol chitosan-graft-carboxymethyl β-cyclodextrin (GCH-g-CM β-CD) was successfully synthesized by a simple method, and its interaction processes with porcine gastric mucin (PGM) and doxorubicin (DXR) were recorded by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in real time. Owing to the mucoadhesive property of GCH, GCH-g-CM β-CD could immobilize on the PGM modified Au film, indicating its targeting delivery behavior. More importantly, due to the free carboxylic acid groups around the cavity of β-CD, the carrier could release DXR in acid medium (pH 5.0), but could not release them in weakly basic medium (pH 7.4). That is to say, the novel carrier not only possesses the targeting delivery behavior of GCH and hydrophobic drug inclusion feature of β-CD, but also can release the drug by controlling pH in physiological range. Therefore, GCH-g-CM β-CD has great potential application as a novel anticancer drug carrier.