In this Study, a pH-sensitive nanoplatform made up of
chitosan (Cs) and mesoporous
hydroxyapatite (HAP) was synthesized and employed for delivering of
adenosine 5'-triphosphate (
ATP). The fabricated system was decorated with
folic acid (FA), providing both
tumor targeting and imaging. The FA.Cs.
ATP@HAP nanoparticles displayed enhanced colloidal stability and controlled drug release. In vitro biological experiments revealed that FA.Cs.
ATP@HAP was internalized into the
tumor cells with a high efficiency in a time-dependent manner and exhibited strong fluorescence within the cells. Compared with free
ATP, the FA.Cs.
ATP@HAP nanoparticles exhibited a significant inhibition effect against the proliferation of the
tumor cells (Saos-2, T47D, and MCF7) in a dose-dependent manner, while no significant cytotoxic effect was observed in the normal cells (HEK-293), indicating the selective cytotoxicity of the fabricated nanosystem against the
tumor cells. Also, the mechanism of action of FA.Cs.
ATP@HAP was investigated, and it was found that it induces a high rate of apoptosis in the
tumor cells through a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential and
caspase activation. Based on these findings, FA.Cs.
ATP@HAP is a novel biomedical material with targeting, imaging, and high anticancer properties against
tumor cells, and it could be considered as a promising candidate for
cancer therapy.