Nanodiamonds (NDs) are advantageous for targeted cancer treatment with payload medications due to their good biocompatibility. Herein, a nanodrug delivery system, NDfucoxanthin (ND-FX), was generated by combining FX and acyl chloride-functionalized NDs, which were created by dispersing and surface-modifying NDs. The structure and characteristics of NDs were examined via X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Subsequently, the drug-loading and -release rates of ND-FX under different pH conditions were calculated using ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometeric analysis. The drug-loading rate of the ND-FX system was 13.17 %; release rate of FX at pH 7.4 and 6.5 was 27.79 % and 54.65 %, respectively; and cumulative release rate of ND-FX reached 79.98 % over a release duration of 72 h at pH 5.0. Meanwhile, in vitro cytotoxicology experiments demonstrated that ND-FX effectively inhibited the activity of HeLa and HepG2 cells. These results demonstrate the potential value of NDs in the field of nanodrug delivery applications.

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