摘要
Multifunctional nanocomposites containing intrinsic property for serving as the sensing elements as well as targeted nanoconjugates are highly preferred in various therapeutic applications. In this work, nanocomposites of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) and Fe 3 O 4 with conjugation of lectin protein, concanavalin A, to form GQD-ConA@Fe 3 O 4 nanocomposites are developed for both detection of cancer cell and release of drugs to HeLa cells. The GQD-ConA@Fe 3 O 4 nanocomposites deposited on Pt electrode can detect cancerous HeLa cells over normal endothelial cells with a dynamic linear range of 5 × 10 2 to 1 × 10 5 cells mL −1 with a detection limit of 273 cell mL −1 . The GQD-ConA@Fe 3 O 4 also can serve as nanocarriers for loading and delivering doxorubicin (Dox). The in vitro cell images show that the Dox concentration in HeLa cells is enhanced more than double in the presence of external magnetic field due to the incorporation of Fe 3 O 4 in the nanocarrier. The cytotoxicity assay indicates that the susceptibility of cancerous HeLa cells to Dox is 13% higher than that of normal cells, confirming the selective role of ConA in nanocarriers. Results clearly indicate the GQD-ConA@Fe 3 O 4 nanocomposites as a promising material for cancer cell detection and targeted Dox release toward HeLa cells which can serve as the multifunctional platform for novel cancer cell diagnostic and therapeutic applications.