Abstract

Cisplatin, a widely used platinum-based chemotherapeutic agent, is highly effective against various malignancies; however, its clinical application is often severely limited by dose-dependent systemic toxicity, particularly nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity. To address this critical challenge, this study investigated the synthesis and biological evaluation of a novel drug delivery system involving the conjugation of Cisplatin with Arabinogalactan (AG), a biocompatible and non-toxic polysaccharide. The primary objective was to exploit the physicochemical properties of AG to modulate the pharmacokinetics and cellular uptake of Cisplatin, thereby reducing its off-target effects. The synthesized Cisplatin-AG conjugate was characterized and tested *in vitro* against both cancerous and non-cancerous cell lines. Results demonstrated that conjugation significantly reduced the cytotoxicity of Cisplatin towards healthy cells, suggesting a protective effect or altered cellular internalization mechanism, potentially mediated by specific membrane receptors for AG. Crucially, the conjugate maintained potent anti-proliferative activity against tumor cells. This work highlights a promising strategy for developing safer platinum-based drugs with improved therapeutic indices, offering a path toward enhanced patient outcomes in chemotherapy.