A photoluminescent folic acid-derived carbon dot functionalized magnetic dendrimer as a pH-responsive carrier for targeted doxorubicin delivery

In this study, a novel targeted drug delivery system was prepared based on a triazine dendrimer attached to the surface of Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 , which was then grafted with ultrahigh fluorescence folic acid-derived CDs (Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 -G2.5-CD) for targeted delivery of doxorubicin (DOX) against A549 human lung cancer cells. The successful synthesis of this system was confirmed by various techniques such as zeta potential, SEM, XRD, FT-IR, UV-visible, VSM, EDX, BET, and PL analysis. The encapsulation efficiency of Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 -G2.5-CD was 84.28% and the in vitro drug release of Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 -G2.5-CD-DOX was noticeably pH-dependent. The MTT and DAPI tests clearly exhibited that non-toxic Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 -G2.5-CD has excellent biocompatibility with A549 cells. Meanwhile, colloidal stability and enzymatic degradation studies showed that Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 -G2.5-CD has good stability and biodegradability. According to the obtained results, the as-prepared dendrimer can be proposed for use as a new safe and efficient vehicle for drug delivery systems. A fluorescent folic acid carbon dot-grafted magnetic dendrimer was synthesized as a potential carrier for targeted delivery of DOX drug in an acidic medium (pH 5). The carrier showed biodegradability, high colloidal stability, and good biocompatibility towards A549 cells.