Our findings indicate that the covalent attachment of folic acid
molecules to the surface of CNCs, as described here, is an
effective method for the targeting of CNCs to folate receptorpositive
mammalian cells. Their lack of cytotoxicity coupled
with the demonstrated specific, folate receptor-mediated cellular
uptake makes folic acid-conjugated CNCs promising nanoparticles
for the targeted delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to
cancer cells.