Kappa Carrageenan/PEG-halloysite nanocomposites: Surface characterization with an artificial intelligence technique, antimicrobial, and anticancer properties

Within the field of pharmaceutical technology, the design of green and multifunctional nanocarriers has received significant attention due to their excellent synergistic anticancer and antimicrobial properties. In this study, a novel kappa carrageenan/polyethylene glycol-halloysite nanocomposite (κCA-PEG-Hal NC) was prepared as a part of the development of the cisplatin (Cis) delivery nanosystem in pancreatic cancer treatment. The prepared nanostructure was characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, and FTIR techniques. The spherical κCA-PEG-Hal NC was outperformed by a smaller particle size of 65 ± 1 nm. The prepared nanostructure exhibited a high Cis release percentage of 90.44 ± 0.5%. The experimental results showed that the prepared κCA-PEG-Hal NC had a high cytotoxic effect on HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma and MIA PaCa-2 pancreatic cancer cells, while having low cytotoxicity against HUVEC human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Furthermore, the κCA-PEG-Hal NC had robust antimicrobial effects against different pathogenic microorganisms. Due to the multifunctional nature of κCA-PEG-Hal NC, it is proposed as an effective nanocarrier for delivery of anticancer drug (Cis) and an antimicrobial agent with excellent surface and biological properties. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.