Chitosan-based intelligent theragnosis nanocomposites enable pH-sensitive drug release with MR-guided imaging for cancer therapy.

Smart drug delivery systems that are triggered by environmental conditions have been developed to enhance cancer therapeutic efficacy while limiting unwanted effects. Because cancer exhibits abnormally high local acidities compared to normal tissues (pH 7.4) due to Warburg effects, pH-sensitive systems have been researched for effective cancer therapy. Chitosan-based intelligent theragnosis nanocomposites, N-naphthyl-O-dimethymaleoyl chitosan-based drug-loaded magnetic nanoparticles (NChitosan-DMNPs), were developed in this study. NChitosan-DMNPs are capable of pH-sensitive drug release with MR-guided images because doxorubicin (DOX) and magnetic nanocrystals (MNCs) are encapsulated into the designed N-naphthyl-O-dimethymaleoyl chitosan (N-nap-O-MalCS). This system exhibits rapid DOX release as acidity increases, high stability under high pH conditions, and sufficient capacity for diagnosing and monitoring therapeutic responses. These results demonstrate that NChitosan-DMNPs have potential as theragnosis nanocomposites for effective cancer therapy.