synthesis and evaluation of multi-wall carbon nanotube–paclitaxel complex as an anti-cancer agent

aim : the aim of this study is to design multi-walled carbon nanotubes (mwcnts) loaded with paclitaxel (ptx) anti-cancer drug and investigate its anti-cancerous efficacy of human gastric cancer. the sidewall surfaces of pristine mwcnts are highly hydrophobic. a major goal in carbon nanotube chemistry has been functionalization for aqueous solubility, and exploiting nano-tubes as macromolecules for chemistry, biology, and medicine application. this work establishes a novel, easy to-make formulation of a mwcnt– paclitaxel complex with high drug loading efficiency. therefore, new opportunities in medicine  develop novel effective tumor drug delivery systems.   background : carbon nanotubes (cnts) represent a novel nano-materials applied in various fields such as drug delivery due to their unique chemical properties and high drug loading. patients and methods : in this study, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (mwcnts) pre-functionalized covalently with a paclitaxel (ptx) as an anti-cancer drug and evaluated by different analyses including, scanning electron microscope (sem), particle size analyzer and cellular analyses. results : a well conjugated of anti-cancer drug on the carbon nanotube surfaces was shown. this study demonstrates that the mwcn-ptx complex is a potentially useful system for delivery of anti-cancer drugs. the flow cytometry, cfu and mtt assay results have disclosed that mwcnt/ptxs might promote apoptosis in mkn-45 gastric adenocarcinoma cell line. conclusion : according to results, our simple method can be designed a candidate material for chemotherapy. it has presented a few bio-related applications including, their successful use as a nano-carriers for drug transport.