Preparation, characterization and targeted antitumor effects of polyglycerol-hyaluronic acid functionalized tungsten oxide nanocomposites

Tungsten oxide has been widely used in the biomedical industry for excellent biocompatibility, nontoxicity and hydrophilicity. Here, tungsten oxide was modified with polyglycerol and covalently modified with hyaluronic acid in order to improve water solubility and target tumor cells. Multiple characterizations indicated that the WOx-PG-HA targeted tumor system has been successfully prepared. After loading DOX with WOx-PG-HA, we explored the drug release curve of the system and found that the cumulative release rate under acidic conditions was almost 2-fold higher that under neutral conditions, indicating that WOx-PG-HA/DOX was more likely to release DOX in the acidic tumor microenvironment. Moreover, WOx-PG-HA/DOX exhibited potent anticancer activity against Hela cells in vitro. The results revealed that tungsten oxide nanomaterials modified with polyglycerol and hyaluronic acid can serve as excellent anticancer drug carriers, providing a potential approach for cancer treatment. [Display omitted] •Tungsten oxide are grafted with polyglycerol (PG) and conjugated with hyaluronic acid (HA).•WOx-PG-HA/DOX nanocomposites can passively target and accumulate in the acidic tumor region.•WOx-PG-HA/DOX can target cancer cells under the CD44 receptor-mediated endocytosis, inhibiting tumor cells proliferation.