Enhanced response of tamoxifen toward the cancer cells using a combination of chemotherapy and photothermal ablation induced by lentinan-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Abstract A lentinan (LEN) functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) drug delivery system, using tamoxifen (TAM) as a model anticancer agent, was developed by a simple non-covalent approach. This developed system (MWCNTs-TAM-LEN) possessed good stability, water dispersibility and extraordinary photothermal properties. It was demonstrated by the in vitro experiments that MWCNTs-TAM-LEN had enhanced cellular uptake, antitumor activity and cell apoptosis on Mcf-7 cells in comparison with TAM and MWCNTs-TAM. The cell inhibition rate and apoptosis rate of Mcf-7 cells treated by MWCNTs-TAM-LEN with near-infrared (NIR) were 67.1% and 66.5% higher than that of equivalent concentration of TAM with NIR irradiation treatment, respectively. The enhanced antitumor efficacy of MWCNTs-TAM-LEN was realized via the synergistic function of chemotherapy and photothermal ablation under NIR laser irradiation.