Doxorubicin-loaded carboxymethyl cellulose/Starch/ZnO nanocomposite hydrogel beads as an anticancer drug carrier agent

In this paper, nanocomposite hydrogel beads were prepared through combining carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), starch, and ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs), as well as physical cross-linking with FeCl3. The obtained nanocomposite hydrogel beads were used as a potential candidate for controlled release of anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX). The nanocomposite hydrogel beads were characterized using FT-IR, XRD, UV–vis, SEM, EDX, TGA and DSC. In addition, gel content, swelling/de-swelling properties, and drug release of the samples were evaluated. The swelling and drug release profiles revealed that the amount of drug released and swelling of the hydrogels depended on the CMC content, pH, and ZnO nanoparticle content. Prolonged and more controlled drug releases were observed for ZnO nanoparticle containing CMC/Starch beads, which increased with the rise in ZnO nanoparticle content. The cytotoxicity of the samples was confirmed using human colon cancer cells (SW480).