Preparation and Performance of Chemotherapy Drug-Loaded Graphene Oxide-Based Nanosheets That Target Ovarian Cancer Cells via Folate Receptor Mediation

Graphene oxide (GO) is one of the most popular nanomaterials that widely used to achieve effective cancer treatment. In this study, a novel, folic acid-decorated graphene oxide (FA-GO)-mediated drug delivery system was synthesized by loading the chemotherapy drug cisplatin (CDDP) or paclitaxel (PTX) to the large surface area of GO for ovarian cancer target therapy. In vitro study showed that the therapeutic effects of FA-GO-CDDP or FA-GO-PTX were increased with folate-binding protein (FBP) expression levels. The GO-CDDP or GO-PTX modified with FA enhanced cancer cell death by promoting DNA damage, ROS production, and apoptotic pathway activation. In vivo anticancer study demonstrated that FA-GO-CDDP nanosheets showed excellent therapeutic performance and attenuated the body weight loss evoked by CDDP treatment. Our results indicate that the chemotherapy agent-loaded FA-GO nanosheets have high potential therapeutic effects against FBP high expressing ovarian cancer.