NIR-Sensitive Natural Attapulgite Nanoformulation for Effective Anti-Tumor Chemotherapeutic Activity in-vitro Model.

Authors

Daokui Li, Weifeng Yin, Peng Liu, Xianfeng Liu, Baisheng Nie

Published in

International journal of nanomedicine. Volume 21. Pages 637061. Epub Nov 03, 2026.

Abstract

Smart drug delivery systems enabling on-demand release and multimodal therapy are highly desirable for cancer treatment. Natural attapulgite (ATP) nanoclay possesses high surface area, good biocompatibility, and intrinsic near-infrared (NIR) absorption. This study aimed to develop an ATP-based nanoformulation incorporating gypenosides, inulin, folic acid, and lauric acid as a phase-change gatekeeper, and to evaluate its in vitro performance under NIR irradiation.
The formulation was prepared by spray-drying ATP with gypenosides, inulin, and folic acid, followed by lauric acid encapsulation. Characterization included morphology, pore structure, thermal properties, and photothermal conversion. In vitro drug release was assessed with or without 808 nm NIR irradiation. Cytotoxicity against HeLa cells was evaluated using the CCK-8 assay, comparing material alone, NIR alone, and material combined with NIR.
The optimized microspheres (ATP-M) exhibited a hierarchical porous structure (surface area 27.0 m²/g, average pore diameter 22.3 nm) and high lauric acid loading (~51 wt%). Lauric acid melted at ~43 °C, enabling NIR-triggered release. ATP-M showed efficient NIR absorption and photothermal heating. The combination of drug-loaded microspheres and NIR irradiation reduced HeLa cell viability to 24.9%, which was lower than chemotherapy alone (51.6%) or photothermal therapy alone (83.3%).
The natural ATP-based nanoformulation enables NIR-triggered drug release and enhanced in vitro antitumor efficacy. These findings support further investigation of this system for potential cancer therapy, including in vivo validation of targeting and synergy.

PMID:
42999822
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 08 Nov 2026.

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