Nanotechnology has acquired an immense recognition in cancer theranostics. Considerable progress has been made in the development of targeted drug delivery system for potent delivery of anticancer drugs to tumor-specific sites. Recently, multifunctional nanomaterials have been explored and used as nanovehicles to carry drug molecules with enhanced therapeutic efficacy. In this present work, graphene oxide quantum dot (GOQD) was conjugated with folic acid functionalized chitosan (FA-CH) to develop a nanocargo (FA-CH-GOQD) for drug delivery in cancer therapy. The synthesized nanomaterials were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet−visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering. Photoluminescence spectroscopy was also employed to characterize the formation of GOQD. To validate the efficacy of FA-CH-GOQD as nanocarriers, doxorubicin (DOX) drug was chosen for encapsulation. The in vitro release pattern of DOX was examined in various pH ranges. The drug release rate in a tumor cell microenvironment at pH 5.5 was found higher than that under a physiological range of pH 6.5 and 7.4. An MTT assay was performed to understand the cytotoxic behavior of GOQD and FA-CH-GOQD/DOX. Cytomorphological micrographs of the A549 cell exhibited the various morphological arrangements subject to apoptosis of the cell. Cellular uptake studies manifested that FA-CH-GOQD could specifically transport DOX within a cancerous cell. Further anticancer efficacy of this nanomaterial was corroborated in a breast cancer cell line and demonstrated through 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride staining micrographs.

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We present models of wormhole under the Finslerian structure of spacetime. This is a sequel of our previous work (Eur Phys J 75:564, 2015) where we constructed a toy model for compact stars based on the Finslerian spacetime geometry. In the present investigation, a wide variety of solutions are obtained, which explore the wormhole geometry by considering different choices for the form function and energy density. The solutions, like in the previous work, are revealed to be physically interesting and viable models for the explanation of wormholes as far as the background theory and literature are concerned.

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In this work, a novel electrochemical immunosensor based on nitrogen doped graphene quantum dot (N-GQD) and single-walled carbon nanohorns (SWCNHs) was developed for the detection of α-fetoprotein (AFP), a cancer biomarker. Thus, to fabricate the platform of the immunosensor, nanocomposite architecture was developed by decorating N-GQD on the surface of the SWCNHs. The resulting hybrid architecture (N-GQD@ SWCNHs) functioned as an exceptional base for the immobilization of antibody (Anti-AFP) through carbodiimide reaction with good stability and bioactivity. The immunosensor was prepared by evenly distributing the bioconjugates (N-GQD@SWCNHs/Anti-AFP) dispersion on the surface of the glassy carbon electrode, and subsequently blocking the remaining active sites by bovine serum albumin to prevent the nonspecific adsorption. Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy technique was employed to investigate the assembly process of the immunosensor. Under optimal conditions, the immunosensor exhibited a broad dynamic range in between 0.001 ng/mL to 200 ng/mL and a low detection limit of 0.25 pg/mL. Furthermore, the sensor showed high selectivity, desirable stability, and reproducibility. Measurements of AFP in human serum gave outstanding recovery within 99.2% and 102.1%. Thus, this investigation and the amplification strategy exhibited a potential role of the developed nanocomposite based sensor for early clinical screening of cancer biomarkers.