Preparation and in vitro drug release of functionalized boron dual drug-loaded nanocomposite

Boron nanosheets (B NSs) were prepared by coupling thermal oxidation etching and liquid exfoliation technology. Then, they were modified by H2N-PEG-NH2 to obtain B-PEG nanosheets (B-PEG NSs). Subsequently, B-PEG-cRGD composite was prepared using cyclic RGD (cRGD) tripeptide as monomer, 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) as initiators. Finally, DOX-17AAG@B-PEG-cRGD nano drug-loaded composite was obtained by blending B-PEG-cRGD with doxorubicin (DOX) and heat shock protein 90 inhibitor, 17-allylamin, 17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17AAG). The structure and morphology of B NSs and DOX-17AAG@B-PEG-cRGD composite were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet spectrophotometer and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The results show that DOX-17AAG@B-PEG-cRGD composite has good stability with a hydrodynamic average diameter of about 184 nm. The in vitro drug release studies reveal that the composite has near-infrared light (NIR) and pH double responsiveness, as well as exhibits good drug sustained release effect. When the in vitro drug release experiment was carried out at pH=5.0 and NIR irradiation for 72 h, the cumulative release rates of DOX and 17AAG were up to 66.53% and 73.01%, respectively. © 2020, Editorial Office of FINE CHEMICALS. All right reserved.