Anticancer effects of folic acid-functionalized covalent organic framework containing doxorubicin on SW480 colon cancer cells: a promising tool for drug targeted delivery

Colorectal cancer is one of the deadliest forms of gastrointestinal cancer, with conventional treatments often facing significant limitations. As a result, new approaches, particularly in targeted drug delivery, have shown great promise. In this study, the COF-FA@DOX nanocarrier was developed, where covalent organic frameworks (COFs) were functionalized with folic acid (FA) and then loaded with Doxorubicin (DOX). The as-synthesized COF-FA@DOX nanocarrier was characterized using different techniques. To assess its anticancer effectiveness, MTT, flow cytometry, and scratch assays were conducted on SW480 and HUVEC cells to examine cell viability, cellular uptake, cell cycle progression, apoptosis, and cell migration, respectively. The obtained results demonstrated that the COF-FA@DOX nanocarrier was efficiently internalized by cancer cells and showed significantly higher cytotoxicity compared to other synthesized nanocarrier groups and free DOX drug. Moreover, the COF-FA@DOX nanocarrier caused cell cycle arrest, induced apoptosis, and inhibited cell migration at lower doses than the free DOX drug. Altogether, these findings suggest that the COF-FA@DOX nanocarrier is an effective and promising drug delivery system for DOX in colorectal cancer, potentially enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of DOX drug while minimizing side effects through targeted delivery. Further investigation is required to assess their efficacy in vivo and discover potential clinical applications.