The anticancer effects of graphene oxide against digestive system cancers: Short review

Abstract

In recent years, advances in nanotechnology have enabled researchers in the field of diagnosis and treatment to use nanoparticles or complex multifunctional nanosystems for the diagnosis and targeted treatment of several diseases, including cancers. Graphene oxide is one of the most studied materials in the world. Due to its unique properties, it has been in the center of researchers' attention and has been named as a material for the future. Graphene oxide is made up of only carbon atoms, where each carbon atom is bonded to three other carbon atoms with sp2 hybridized orbitals, creating a honeycomb and hexagonal lattice. Graphene oxide is a layered carbon structure with oxygen-containing functional groups that are attached to both sides of the edge layer and also to the edges of the graphene oxide sheet. Due to its two-dimensional planar structure, chemical/mechanical stability, excellent sensitivity to light, excellent conductivity, high surface area and good biocompatibility, graphene oxide nanoparticles have been placed as a suitable candidate in the treatment of cancers. Graphene oxide can be used to make a drug delivery system for anti-cancer drugs such as paclitax, doxorubicin and methotrexate, and the drug can be directed to the desired location by loading it. This short review aimed to have an overview on the anticancer effects of graphene oxide on gastrointestinal cancers.