Cancer remains one of the main causes of death in the world, and despite progress in diagnosis and treatment, it continues to impose a significant health office worldwide. Researchers have now started to explore various innovative methods, such as designed nanomaterials (ENM) which can allow the delivery of targeted drugs to cancer cells. Although promising, the in vivo behavior of ENMs sensitive to pH, which interact continuously with body fluids once administered, remains poorly understood.
To fill this research shortcoming, a team of researchers led by Professor Yuta Nishina of the Research Institute for the Interdisciplinary Sciences of the University of Okayama, Japan, in collaboration with the deputy professor Yajuan Zou of the same institution and Professor Alberto Bianco de CNRS, University of Strasbourg, France, aiming to investigate the cells and pregnant cells Dynamics of interaction in cells in the enclosures of anal vivo. Their results were published online in the journal Petit June 01, 2025.
The carbon-based nanomaterial graphene oxide obtained from graphite-HAS recently gained popularity in nanotechnology because of its structural properties and its ability to accumulate in tumors by the increased effect of permeability and retention. However, it faces limited applications because the immune system quickly eliminates it from circulation, resulting in ineffective absorption by cancer cells.
To overcome this barrier, the researchers have designed a “reversible” graphene material by attaching a hyperbranché polymer called polyglycerol rich in amino (HPGNH₂) to graphene oxide sheets, then adding an anhydride adimethylmalmal (DMMA) fraction to make the ph-sensible on the surface.
“When the material is in the neutral pH of the blood circulation, its surface remains negatively loaded, avoiding detection by the immune system,“Explains Professor Nishina. »»But when it enters the slightly acidic environment of a tumor, its surface becomes positively loaded, helping it to bind and enter cancer cells.«
The team analyzed three versions of this graphene-polyglycerol-dmma (GOPG-DMMA) oxide material by varying the densities of AMINO groups in HPGNH₂. These groups included Gopgnh115, Gopgnh60 and Gopgnhhh. The difference in amine groups modified the resulting positive load and thus affected the fixing of the GOPG-DMMA material.
According to the results, the GOPGNH60-DMMA variant worked better, reaching the right safety balance in the bloodstream and an optimal positive load in the acid tumor environment. This balance allowed the material to reach and enter tumor cells more effectively while avoiding binding to healthy cells and blood proteins. In addition, this led to a higher accumulation of nanomaterials in tumor sites with fewer side effects, which was confirmed by mouse models.
« We observed that by adjusting the surface chemistry, we could control how nanomaterials behave inside the body»This le dr would. “The success of this specific control could open new avenues to ‘tearanostics that integrate both the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. «
The study marks an important step in the delivery of targeted drugs and can help refine these pH nanomaterials for more precision. Study information may also help target drugs inside cells, especially in acidic compartments such as lysosomes or more precise endosomic manufacturing and damage to healthy tissue damage.
The study is part of an increasing international collaboration. In 2025, the University of Okayama and the CNRS launched the International IRP C3M research program, which aims to create smarter nanomaterials for health care. In the future, researchers will continue to push the limits of nanomaterials for better therapies.
« We now have a concrete directive to improve the performance of pH nanomédicals“Said Professor Nishina. »»With this discovery, we are one more step from the future of personalized medicine. «