Abstract
The use of nanoparticles in cancer research has garnered significant interest due to their exceptional physicochemical properties. Among these, carbon nanotubes have shown potential in biomedical applications; however, their hydrophobic nature limits dispersion in aqueous environments. Therefore, surface functionalization is important to improve the dispersibility and biocompatibility of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs). This study aimed to non-covalently functionalize MWCNTs with chitosan, characterize the resulting nanocomposites, and evaluate the in vitro cytotoxicity of oxidized MWCNTs, curcumin-loaded MWCNTs, and chitosan-functionalized MWCNTs with or without curcumin against lung, pancreatic, and colorectal cancer cell lines. The prepared samples were characterized for crystallinity, particle size, and surface charge using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). The resulting curcumin-chitosan-MWCNT formulation demonstrated an entrapment efficiency of 99.1%, a particle size of 850 nm, and a surface area of 52.73 m²/g. The IC₅₀ of curcumin-chitosan-MWCNT was 67 μg/mL for PANC-1 cells, compared to 227.6 μg/mL for fibroblasts, 71.4 μg/mL for HCT116, and 148.6 μg/mL for A549 cells. In conclusion, the combination of curcumin, chitosan, and MWCNT significantly reduced cancer cell viability and demonstrated selective in vitro cytotoxicity, particularly against PANC-1 cells. These findings suggest that the developed formulation may warrant further investigation as a potential nanocomposite platform for anticancer applications.