Cellulose Nanocrystals/Chitosan-Based Nanosystems: Synthesis, Characterization, and Cellular Uptake on Breast Cancer Cells

authors	Pinto, RJB; Lameirinhas, NS; Guedes, G; da Silva, GRH; Oskoei, P; Spirk, S; Oliveira, H; Duarte, IF; Vilela, C; Freire, CSR
nationality	International
journal	NANOMATERIALS
author keywords	cellulose nanocrystals; chitosan; folic acid; fluorescein isothiocyanate; nanosystems; physical adsorption; cellular uptake; cellular exometabolomics; folate receptor-positive cancer cells
keywords	ACID; CHITOSAN; NANOCELLULOSE; FLUORESCEIN; DESIGN; INTERNALIZATION; NANOPARTICLES; CYTOTOXICITY; FILMS
abstract	Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are elongated biobased nanostructures with unique characteristics that can be explored as nanosystems in cancer treatment. Herein, the synthesis, characterization, and cellular uptake on folate receptor (FR)-positive breast cancer cells of nanosystems based on CNCs and a chitosan (CS) derivative are investigated. The physical adsorption of the CS derivative, containing a targeting ligand (folic acid, FA) and an imaging agent (fluorescein isothiocyanate, FITC), on the surface of the CNCs was studied as an eco-friendly methodology to functionalize CNCs. The fluorescent CNCs/FA-CS-FITC nanosystems with a rod-like morphology showed good stability in simulated physiological and non-physiological conditions and non-cytotoxicity towards MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. These functionalized CNCs presented a concentration-dependent cellular internalization with a 5-fold increase in the fluorescence intensity for the nanosystem with the higher FA content. Furthermore, the exometabolic profile of the MDA-MB-231 cells exposed to the CNCs/FA-CS-FITC nanosystems disclosed a moderate impact on the cells' metabolic activity, limited to decreased choline uptake and increased acetate release, which implies an anti-proliferative effect. The overall results demonstrate that the CNCs/FA-CS-FITC nanosystems, prepared by an eco-friendly approach, have a high affinity towards FR-positive cancer cells and thus might be applied as nanocarriers with imaging properties for active targeted therapy.
publisher	MDPI
isbn	2079-4991
year published	2021
volume	11
issue	8
digital object identifier (doi)	10.3390/nano11082057
web of science category	17
subject category	Chemistry, Multidisciplinary; Nanoscience & Nanotechnology; Materials Science, Multidisciplinary; Physics, Applied
unique article identifier	WOS:000689947100001