Sains Malaysiana 55(6)(2026): 986-997

http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2026-5506-04

 

Graphene Oxide Derivatives as Advanced Nanocarriers against Breast Cancer Cells

(Terbitan Grafena Oksida sebagai Pembawa Nano Termaju terhadap Sel Kanser Payudara)

 

UNG YEE TZE¹, NOR AMIN HASSAN¹, KHOR BOON KEAT^2,3, VIKNESWARAN MURUGAIYAH^2,3, BEH KHI POAY⁴, BATOUL DHAINI⁵, SAMIR ACHERAR⁵, CÉLINE FROCHOT⁵ & AMIRAH MOHD GAZZALI^1,*

 

¹School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia

²Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia

³Centre for Drug Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia

⁴School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), 11800, Penang, Malaysia

⁵Laboratoire Reactions et Génie des Procédés (LRGP), UMR 7274 CNRS, Université de Lorraine, CNRS, LRGP, F-54000 Nancy, France

 

Diserahkan: 1 November 2025/Diterima: 20 Mei 2026

 

Abstract

Graphene-based nanomaterials have attracted significant attention as drug delivery platforms due to their high surface area, ease of functionalization and biocompatibility. This study investigates and compares graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) for their efficiency in loading methylene blue (MB) and their in vitro cytotoxic effects on MCF-7 breast cancer cells. GO and rGO were synthesized via improved Hummers’ method and chemical reduction with ascorbic acid, respectively. The resulting nanomaterials were characterized for functional groups and drug release behavior at physiological (pH 7.4) and acidic (pH 4.5) conditions. Successful formation of GO-MB and rGO-MB complexes was confirmed by spectral shifts in FTIR. In vitro drug release studies demonstrated a pH-responsive profile, with complete release from GO-MB and rGO-MB occurring within 24 h and 20 min, respectively, at pH 4.5. In vitro cytotoxicity evaluation against MCF-7 breast cancer cells showed enhanced cytotoxic effect of GO-MB on MCF-7, while maintaining lower toxicity towards normal human fibroblast (Hs27) cells. These findings exhibit the superior performance of GO as a drug carrier over rGO, showing its potential for safe and effective anti-breast cancer therapy.

Keywords: Breast cancer; graphene oxide; methylene blue; reduced graphene oxide

 

Abstrak

Bahan nano berasaskan grafena telah menarik perhatian yang meluas sebagai platform penghantaran ubat disebabkan oleh luas permukaan yang tinggi, kemudahan kefungsian serta biokeserasian yang baik. Kajian ini meneliti dan membandingkan grafena oksida (GO) dan grafena oksida terkurang (rGO) dari segi kecekapan pemuatan metilena biru (MB) serta kesan sitotoksik in vitro terhadap sel kanser payudara MCF-7. GO dan rGO masing-masing telah disintesis melalui kaedah Hummers yang dipertingkatkan dan penurunan kimia menggunakan asid askorbik. Bahan nano yang dihasilkan telah dicirikan bagi menentukan kumpulan berfungsi serta tingkah laku pelepasan ubat pada keadaan fisiologi (pH 7.4) dan berasid (pH 4.5). Pembentukan kompleks GO-MB dan rGO-MB telah disahkan melalui anjakan spektrum dalam analisis FTIR. Kajian pelepasan ubat in vitro menunjukkan profil pelepasan yang peka terhadap perubahan pH dengan pelepasan lengkap daripada GO-MB dan rGO-MB masing-masing dicapai dalam tempoh 24 jam dan 20 minit pada pH 4.5. Penilaian sitotoksisiti secara in vitro terhadap sel MCF-7 menunjukkan GO-MB menghasilkan kesan sitotoksik yang lebih tinggi terhadap sel kanser tersebut, sambil mengekalkan ketoksikan yang lebih rendah terhadap sel fibroblas manusia normal (Hs27). Keputusan ini membuktikan bahawa GO mempunyai keupayaan yang lebih unggul sebagai pembawa ubat berbanding rGO, sekali gus menyerlahkan potensi GO sebagai agen penghantaran ubat yang selamat dan berkesan untuk terapi anti-kanser payudara.

Kata kunci: Kanser payudara; metilena biru; oksida grafena; oksida grafena terturun

 

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*Pengarang untuk surat-menyurat; email: amirahmg@usm.my