Targeted
drug delivery by nanocarriers molecules can increase the efficiency of
cancer treatment. One of the targeting
ligands is
folic acid (FA), which has a high affinity for the
folic acid receptors, which are overexpressed in many
cancers. Herein, we describe the preparation of the
nanoconjugates containing
quantum dots (QDs) and β-
cyclodextrin (β-CD) with foliate-targeting properties for the delivery of anticancer compound C-2028. C-2028 was bound to the
nanoconjugate via an inclusion complex with β-CD. The effect of using FA in QDs-β-CD(C-2028)-FA
nanoconjugates on cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, and the mechanism of internalization in
cancer (H460, Du-145, and LNCaP) and normal (MRC-5 and PNT1A) cells was investigated. The QDs-β-CD(C-2028)-FA were characterized using DLS (dynamic light scattering), ZP (zeta potential),
quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D), and UV-vis spectroscopy. The conjugation of C-2028 with non-toxic QDs or QDs-β-CD-FA did not change the cytotoxicity of this compound. Confocal microscopy studies proved that the use of FA in
nanoconjugates significantly increased the amount of delivered compound, especially to
cancer cells. QDgreen-β-CD(C-2028)-FA enters the cells through multiple endocytosis pathways in different levels, depending on the cell line. To conclude, the use of FA is a good self-navigating molecule in the QDs platform for
drug delivery to
cancer cells.