Fluorescent Sensing and Adsorption Behavior of Natural-Compound-Modified Hyaluronic Acid Nanocarriers Toward Tetracycline with Enhanced Anticancer Efficacy
摘要
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains a major clinical challenge due to limited efficacy and severe adverse effects associated with current treatments. In this study, a natural sesquiterpene compound extracted from Ailanthus altissima was covalently grafted onto hyaluronic acid to construct a multifunctional nanocarrier (1-HA), followed by loading of ailanthone (AIL) to obtain 1-HA@AIL nanoparticles. Benefiting from the CD44-targeting ability of HA and Compound 1, 1-HA@AIL exhibited dual functionality in fluorescent tetracycline (TC) sensing and enhanced anticancer therapy. The nanoplatform displayed high pH stability (pH 4–11), strong selectivity toward TC (97.5% quenching), a low LOD of 0.29 µM, and rapid adsorption equilibrium within 120 min, indicating promising applicability for antibiotic detection. Meanwhile, 1-HA@AIL induced time-dependent inhibition of CNE2 NPC cell proliferation, accompanied by significant upregulation of p21 and Bax, confirming cell cycle arrest and apoptosis activation as major mechanisms. These findings demonstrate that this natural compound-modified HA nanocarrier enables both intelligent fluorescence sensing and effective intracellular drug delivery, offering a promising strategy for dual-purpose environmental monitoring and potential therapeutic applications in NPC.