Optimizing the alginate coating layer of doxorubicin-loaded iron oxide nanoparticles for cancer hyperthermia and chemotherapy

• Published in: Journal of materials science Vol. 53; no. 19; pp. 13826 - 13842
• Main Authors: Le, Thi Thu Huong, Bui, Thuc Quang, Ha, Thi Minh Thi, Le, Mai Huong, Pham, Hong Nam, Ha, Phuong Thu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-10-2018; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Alginates; Anthracyclines; Anticancer properties; Biomaterials; Cancer; Cancer therapies; Care and treatment; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemical precipitation; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chemotherapy; Classical Mechanics; Coatings; Complex formation; Crystallography and Scattering Methods; Doxorubicin; Drug delivery systems; Drugs; Ferric oxide; High temperature effects; Hyperthermia; Iron compounds; Iron oxides; Magnetic properties; Materials Science; Nanoparticles; Polymer Sciences; Side effects; Solid Mechanics; Toxicity; Tumors; Alginate Layer; Magnetic Nanoparticles (MNPs); Intrinsic Loss Power (ILP); Drug Loading Content; Fe3O4 Nanoparticles
• ISSN: 0022-2461; 1573-4803
• DOI: 10.1007/s10853-018-2574-z

Chemotherapy in cancer treatment usually leads to serious side effects on patients due to the unselectiveness and high toxicity on normal cells of cancer drugs. Loading cancer drugs into nano-platforms could be an alternative approach to effectively deliver drugs to tumors and reduce toxic exposure on healthy cells. In this work, we synthesized drug delivery nano-systems based on Fe
3
O
4
nanoparticles (obtained from co-precipitation reaction) which could provide targeting of drugs to the tumor sites by an external magnetic field. Also, the magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) could generate heat to kill cancer cells at a certain temperature range. The systems were designed for loading anticancer agent doxorubicin by using alginate-coated iron oxide MNPs. It was found that the loading was achieved by complex formation of doxorubicin and the alginate layer. Various concentrations of alginate solutions produced different sizes as well as drug loading capacities of the nanoparticles. The highest loading content of 18.96% achieved at the alginate concentration of 4 mg ml
−1
, corresponding to the mass ratio of alginate to Fe
3
O
4
of around 1:2. The magnetic properties, especially the inductive heating effect of the nanoparticles, along with the impact of the systems on tumor cells were investigated. The results proved that the nanoparticles can serve as a good drug delivery system, in terms of both effective hyperthermia and chemotherapy.