Magnetic LDH Coated with DOX and CUR Physically Co-loaded onto PEG for Targeted and Controlled Co-delivery of Drugs to Liver Cancer Cells

Nowadays, pH-sensitive and controlled drug delivery systems are urgently required in targeted cancer therapy to increase the drug efficacy and reduce the side effects of cytotoxic drugs. Hence, the present research describes the preparation of Mg-Al-Ca layered double hydroxide (LDH@Fe₃O₄) coated with polyethylene glycol (PEG)/doxorubicin (DOX)/curcumin (CUR) for targeted and controlled delivery of DOX and CUR (LDH@Fe₃O₄-PEG-DOX-CUR) to liver cancer treatment. The prepared nanocarriers were characterized by FT-IR, FE-SEM, EDX, XRD, BET, VSM, and Zeta potential. The in vitro release investigations of DOX and CUR from the PEG-DOX-CUR and LDH@Fe₃O₄-PEG-DOX-CUR confirmed a pH-dependent behavior. The release of drugs from these systems follows the Korsmeyer-Peppas kinetics model. In addition, the LDH@Fe₃O₄ demonstrated low cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility, as confirmed by in vitro cytotoxicity and DAPI tests against L929 (non-cancerous cells) and HepG2 (human liver cancer cells) cell lines. Whereas, the PEG-DOX-CUR and LDH@Fe₃O₄-PEG-DOX-CUR showed higher cytotoxicity effects against HepG2 cells due to targeted co-delivery of DOX and CUR. Based on the findings, the developed nanocarriers have the potential to be utilized as targeted co-drug delivery systems in biomedical applications.