Graphene Quantum Dots-Based Drug Delivery for Ovarian Cancer Therapy

• Main Author: Qin, Yiru
• Format: Others
• Published: Scholar Commons 2016
• Subjects: graphene quantum dots; nanoparticles; theranostics; ovarian cancer; toxicity; Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering; Medicine and Health Sciences
• Online Access: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6358; http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7554&context=etd

Ovarian cancer, one of the most dreadful malignancies of the female reproductive system, poses a lethal threat to women worldwide. In this dissertation, the objective was to introduce a novel type of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) based nano-sized drug delivery systems (DDS) for ovarian cancer treatment. As a starting point, the facile synthesis method of the GQDs was established. Subsequently, the targeting ligand,folic acid (FA), was conjugated to GQDs. Next, a FDA approved chemotherapeutic drug, Doxorubicin (DOX), was loaded to form the GQDs-FA-DOX nano-conjugation as the DDS. Moreover, the uptake profile and anti-cancer effect of the GQDs-FA-DOX were validated in ovarian cancer cells. Finally, the immunotoxicity of GQDs and its mechanism were investigated and elucidated. Taken together, the findings described in this dissertation provide a novel and powerful strategy of targeted treatment for ovarian cancer.