Dual pH-Responsive Calcium Phosphate Nanoparticles Conjugated with Folate by CuAAC Click Chemistry for Targeted Gemcitabine Delivery to Cancer Cells.

ABSTRACT: Calcium phosphate nanoparticles (CaP NPs) are biocompatible carriers widely studied for drug delivery due to their pH-responsive degradation and controlled release properties. In this study, CaP NPs stabilized with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and coated with a silica layer were designed for gemcitabine (GEM) loading and folate (FA) conjugation, targeting cancer cells overexpressing folate receptor alpha (FRα). GEM was covalently coupled to CMC via an amide bond before CaP precipitation, creating a prodrug system. The NPs exhibited dual pH-responsive release, in which CaP dissolution combined with polymer-drug cleavage through acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of CMC-GEM within endolysosomes ensured intracellular bioavailability of free GEM molecules. FA conjugation by strong covalent bonds via c

SUBMITTER: Machado TR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12776572 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature