A novel pH-responsive nanocarrier using polyvinyl alcohol/starch/molybdenum disulfide loaded with quercetin for breast cancer therapy

In recent years, nanotechnology-based cancer therapies have significantly advanced, showing potential as an alternative to traditional treatments, such as chemotherapy. Despite this progress, the low solubility of quercetin (QC) as an anticancer drug may limit its bioavailability and therapeutic effectiveness. This study aims to address these limitations by developing a novel pH-sensitive nanocomposite composed of polyvinyl alcohol, starch, molybdenum disulfide, and quercetin. The encapsulation efficiency and properties of the nanocomposite were characterized using FTIR, XRD, DLS, zeta potential, and FE-SEM analyses. Additionally, drug release tests showed that the nanocomposite achieved targeted and controlled release over a 96-h period. MTT assays confirmed that the nanocomposite effectively delivered quercetin, inhibiting more than 60% of MCF-7 cell growth, a result further validated by flow cytometry analysis. These findings confirmed that most of the cell growth inhibition occurred during the secondary apoptosis stage, accounting for 60.9% of cell death. Overall, these experiments demonstrated that the PVA/S/MoS₂/QC is a superior candidate compared to free quercetin and traditional methods, offering enhanced anticancer applications. • A novel pH-sensitive PVA/starch/MoS₂ nanocomposite was developed. • Quercetin was effectively encapsulated for enhanced solubility and delivery. • Sustained drug release was achieved over 96 h in acidic conditions. • The nanocomposite inhibited >60% of MCF-7 cancer cells in vitro. • Apoptosis analysis confirmed secondary apoptosis as the dominant cell death mode.