Biomedical use of nanoconjugates based on graphene oxide and fullerenes with cytostatic drugs.

Abstract

Medicine is one of the most promising and essential fields for the application of modern nanotechnologies. Targeted drug delivery, providing prolonged drug action, diagnostics, and the manufacturing of medical devices are among the promising applications of nanomaterials. The excellent electrical, mechanical, and optical properties of carbon nanoparticles, along with their ease of functionalization, have made them attractive candidates for the development of new materials for biomedical applications. As analyzed from contemporary literature, a significant amount of research in experimental oncology has been dedicated to the development of methods for targeted delivery of antitumor agents to biological targets, including the use of nanoparticles. Thus, the creation of antitumor drugs based on conjugates of cytostatic drugs with carbon nanostructures is one of the actively developing directions in medicinal chemistry. This review discusses scientific achievements in the synthesis and study of properties of nanocomposites based on graphene oxide and fullerenes with cytostatic drugs (such as paclitaxel, carboplatin, cisplatin, doxorubicin, gemcitabine, etc.), their mechanisms of action, and practical applications in biomedicine. Special attention is given to the requirements imposed on nanocarriers, methods of targeted delivery of nanocomposites to biological targets, and the advantages of using antitumor agents in the composition of nanoconjugates based on carbon nanostructures. Additionally, the review summarizes and iden- tifies the current challenges in the application of carbon nanostructures in biomedicine.