Biodistribution of PEGylated graphene oxide nanoribbons and their application in cancer chemo-photothermal therapy

To use graphene oxide nanoribbons (GONRs) in combination with chemo-photothermal therapy, we modified GONRs with phospholipid-polyethylene glycol (PL-PEG) to prepare PEGylated GONRs (PL-PEG-GONRs), followed by investigation of the short-term in vivo biodistribution of ^99mTc- labeled PL-PEG-GONRs and their excretion in mice. The ^99mTc-labeled PL-PEG-GONRs demonstrated a unique biodistribution pattern of rapid accumulation in and excretion from the liver. Moreover, we determined that the PL-PEG-GNORs were excreted from the body through the renal route in urine, and we used hematological analysis to show that the PL-PEG-GNORs were not toxic in vivo. Furthermore, doxorubicin-loaded PL-PEG-GONRs had IC₅₀ values for chemo-photothermal therapy toward U87 glioma cells that were 6.7-fold lower than the IC₅₀ values in traditional chemotherapy. With these advantages, PL-PEG-GONRs could be used as drug nanocarriers to develop an efficient cancer-therapy strategy that would not only improve the efficacy of the therapy, but would also reduce the risk of side effects of the nanocarrier in the body.