Work presented at the Metals and Water 2021 Virtual Zaragoza. IV International Congress in Water Soluble Metal Complexes Applications, 24th-25th June 2021.For their large surface area and versatile chemical reactivity, single-walled carbon
nanotubes (SWCNTs) are regarded as the basis of new pharmacological complexes. Here,
SWCNTs are chemically functionalized with fluorescein, folic acid, and capecitabine drug,
being the latter commonly used against colorectal cancer. Functionalized SWCNTs are
dispersed in water through their synergistic interaction with type-II nanocrystalline cellulose
(II-NCC), and the resulting colloidal system is tested in vitro on both normal and cancer
human colon cells (Caco-2). The bare SWCNT/II-NCC hybrid presented a selective effect
against cancer Caco-2 cells, so the study was extended also to the functionalized
analogues. The functionalized SWCNT/II-NCC hybrid shows a higher activity than the
reference capecitabine drug against the cancer Caco-2 cell line. However, the effect appears
to be intrinsically associated to the SWCNT/II-NCC complex, particularly boosted by
fluorescein, while the presence of the capecitabine chemical group is not required. In
addition, fluorescence imaging is shown on cell cultures by confocal microscopy, highlighting
the enormous potential of this nanohybrid platform towards colon cancer theranostics