▎ 摘　　要

The present work encompasses the fabrication of sodium alginate microbeads embedded with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) for pH-responsive drug delivery. Initially, 5-FU is treated with rGO and then encapsulated with an alginate matrix by a simple ionotropic gelation technique with different cross-linking agents for the controlled release of 5-FU. The resultant beads were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Besides, swelling and in vitro drug release studies were also carried out at pH 1.2, 5.4, and 6.8 at 37 degrees C. The presence of rGO in the alginate matrix could greatly enhance the 5-FU loading and accomplish sustained release of 5-FU. The presence of Mg2+ ions in the alginate matrix could greatly affect the swelling and release rate. The anticancer activity of the alginate beads was assessed using an MTT assay against MCF-7 cells. The results findings that the developed alginate beads are probably to be effective drug carriers for drug delivery applications.