Fabrication of a 2D-Surfactant Exfoliated Hexagonal Boron Nitride Nanoparticles as Efficient pH-Sensitive Drug Delivery System for Lung Cancer Therapy

Lung cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers and it is also the primary cause of cancer-related mortality globally. However, due to variations in tobacco use patterns, exposure to environmental risk factors, and genetics, lung cancer incidence and mortality rates vary significantly worldwide. Since smoking is the primary risk factor for lung cancer, developing more effective therapeutic strategies and innovative drug delivery systems may help to raise the disease's survival rates. In this study, a novel pH-sensitive nanocarrier based on a composite of a two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride (2D-hBN) with unique properties was synthesized to deliver Doxorubicin (DOX). Firstly, bulk hBN powder was exfoliated with a sodium cholate salt, sonicated, and centrifuged to obtain the as-prepared 2D-hBN nanocarriers, and finally, DOX was entrapped for targeted drug delivery and tumor therapy. High DOX loading and entrapment efficiency (LE% and EE%, respectively) were obtained. The EE% and LE% for sodium cholate exfoliated 2D-hBN obtained were 84.50% and 25.48%, respectively. In vitro drug release experiments demonstrated a pH-sensitive non-Fickian release profile with a release percentage of 73.5%. Preliminary in-vitro cytotoxicity was done via MTT assay, using the human lung adenocarcinoma cell line (A549), and the 2D-hBN@DOX nanocomposites were shown to drastically reduce the viability of the cancer cells compared to 2D-hBN, indicating the great efficacy of the former nanocomposites in hindering the proliferation of cancer cells.