Gefitinib conjugated PEG passivated graphene quantum dots incorporated PLA microspheres for targeted anticancer drug delivery

In the present study, polyethylene Glycol passivated Graphene Quantum Dots (PEG-GQDs) were successfully synthesized via the hydrothermal method. Furthermore, for the synthesis of anticancer drug loaded GQD embedded microspheres, the anticancer drug was mixed with synthesized PEG-GQD. As prepared, Gefitinib-PEG-GQDs were incorporated into poly-lactic acid (PLA) microspheres using poly-vinyl-acetate (PVA) as surfactant via solvent evaporation technique and single emulsification method. The successful synthesis of anticancer drug loaded microspheres was confirmed by several characterization techniques, including Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), which shows the morphology of microspheres, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis gives an idea about functional group present in the microspheres. X-ray diffraction (XRD) provides information about the crystallinity of the samples respectively. The drug release characteristics were determined by UV-Vis spectrophotometric analysis. Moreover, the in-vitro cell-based cytotoxicity assay indicated almost insignificant cytotoxicity of the NCI–H522 cell line (Human, Lung, Non-small cell lung cancer).