Designing pH-Dependent Systems Based on Nanoscale Calcium Carbonate for the Delivery of an Antitumor Drug

Abstract

Materials based on calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) are widely used in biomedical research (e.g., as carriers of bioactive substances). The biocompatibility of CaCO₃ and dependence of its stability on pH make these materials promising transporters of therapeutic agents to sites with low pH such as a tumor tissue. In this work, we developed an approach to the preparation of nanoscale particles based on CaCO₃ (CaNPs) up to 200 nm in size by coprecipitation and analyzed the interaction of the nanoparticles with an anticancer drug: <i>DOX</i>orubicin (<i>DOX</i>). We also showed a prolonged pH-dependent release of <i>DOX</i> from a CaNP nanocarrier and effective inhibition of cancer cell growth by a CaCO₃-and-<i>DOX</i>-based composite (CaNP₇-<i>DOX</i>) in in vitro models.