Bacterial cellulose/graphene oxide nanocomposite as a novel drug delivery system

Graphene-based nanocarriers not only possess large specific surface area but also prevent drugs from premature release outside the target cells. However, agglomeration in aqueous solution is a critical challenge. In this work, graphene oxide (GO) was uniformly embedded into the three-dimensional (3D) porous network of bacterial cellulose (BC) to form a novel BC/GO nanocomposite drug nanocarrier. For the first time, ibuprofen (IBU) was loaded onto the BC/GO nanocomposites. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) reveal the successful drug loading onto BC/GO nanocomposites. In vitro drug release studies indicate that the drug release of IBU@BC/GO follows a non-Fickian diffusion mechanism. Another important feature of this BC/GO nanocarrier is its better cell viability in comparison to BC. It is believed that this new nanocarrier is a potential choice for drug delivery system. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.