Folate-decorated carboxymethyl cellulose for controlled doxorubicin delivery

In this paper, hexamethylene diamine (HMDA)-grafted carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC/HMDA) was synthesized through the direct graft reaction of HMDA with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). Then the folic acid (FA) was covalently linked to the CMC/HMDA to produce FA (folate)-conjugated CMC/HMDA (CMC/HMDA-FA). The final copolymer was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–vis), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Doxorubicin (DOX) as a model anticancer drug was used and in vitro DOX release from the CMC/HMDA-FA in two different media (bicarbonate buffer solutions: pH = 5 and pH = 7.4) was studied. The results were indicated that the release speed of DOX could be well controlled and the release period could be reached up to 12 h. Release profiles of the DOX from the CMC/HMDA-FA and its loading capacity were determined by UV–vis absorption measurement at λmax 483 nm. These results suggested that the CMC/HMDA-FA conjugate would be beneficial for an anti-tumor drug carrier for pharmaceutical applications.