Modeling carbon nanomaterial cell internalization for drug carrier applications

In order to improve delivery of therapeutic agents, better delivery systems are required. However, many drug delivery platforms have been developed based on a trial and error approach. Systematic study of factors affecting nanomaterial internalization within cells is lacking. Several drug carriers including liposomes and polymeric microspheres have been proposed in the past. Furthermore, unmet needs in improving drug solubility, reduction of systemic toxicity and rapid clearance remain challenges in the field. More recently carbon based nanomaterials have been proposed for drug carrier applications. These nanomaterials can be engineered to have various surface-to-volume ratios with versatile functionalization chemistries while retaining good electrical and thermal properties. Furthermore, they often exhibit biocompatibility. In our study we compare several carbon allotropes such as graphene oxide (GOs), carbon nanotubes (CNTs) both pristine and functionalized, single and multiwalled, as well as several nanodiamond (NDs) preparations, towards their internalization potential. We have investigated these carriers in terms of their biocompatibility and internalization level on K562, a leukemic cell line. We show that nanodiamonds have the highest internalization potential irrespective of surface chemistry. We expect that these carbon based nanomaterials are likely to improve chemotherapeutical delivery of desired payloads in either a sole or combinational manner.