Exploring graphene and its potential in delivery of drugs and biomolecules

Abstract

Graphene hailed as the �wonder material� of the 21st century has achieved widespread advancements in various disciplines such as applied science and medical science. Due to its unique properties such as selectivity, greater medicament capacity, chemo-sensitization, and comfort of functionalization, extraordinary energy has been focused to explore its biomedical operation, particularly in chemotherapy, and in the development advanced delivery systems for drugs, biomolecules, and genes in the previous era. Graphene oxide, which may be coupled covalently or non-covalently with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic molecules, has also emerged as a key nano-vector because of its well-defined physicochemical features.Previously, several studies have been demonstrated that the functionalized form of graphene exhibits greater biocompatibility and could be a promising medium for the development of a novel transport mechanism, although few concerns remain their in vivo properties. This review focuses on graphene and its derivatives and their function in nanomedicine, in particularly the transport of drugs and biomolecules, as well as in the future trends and challenges associated with graphene-based materials. � 2023 Elsevier B.V.