Chinese researchers use carbon nanofibers in drug delivery system

Chinese researchers have developed a smart drug delivery system by using carbon nanofibers which is anticipated to improve tumor treatment, according to Monday's Science and Technology Daily.

A research team of Nantong University developed the novel smart nanodrug loading system based on porous carbon nanofibers (PCNFs), said the report.

The system has excellent dispersibility, suitable near-infrared absorbance, photothermal conversion ability and dual-responsive drug delivery.

The pores facilitated PCNFs to achieve high drug absorption and a shortened release rate to prolong the delivery period.

The in vitro and in vivo results revealed that the combination of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy exerted much higher tumor inhibition efficiency in a low sample concentration without any side effects.

Nanocarbon materials have been well developed due to their excellent properties, though their hydrophobicity and surface inertness limit their further application.

The newly developed system is anticipated to be applied in the future as an effective tumor treatment candidate.

The study has been published in the Chemical Engineering Journal.