Abstract
Purpose: To synthesise and evaluate the anti-tumour properties of doxorubicin-loaded xanthan gumfunctionalised cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (CoFe 2 O 4 .NPs@XG-Doxo) under an AC-magnetic field. Methods: Multidimensional magnetic cobalt ferrite (CoFe 2 O 4 ) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesised by a co-precipitation method. The synthesised cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (CFNPs) were functionalised with xanthine gum (XG) and subsequently characterised by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and contact angle studies. Vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) was used for magnetic measurements of the native and XG-coated CFNPs. The microstructural morphology of the uncoated and XG-coated CFNPs was established using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) studies. Finally, the doxorubicin release profile of the drug-loaded functionalised CFNPs was evaluated using an oscillating magnetic field (OMF) apparatus in the presence of an externally applied magnetic field. Results: XG coating decreased the contact angle of the native CFNPs from 92° to 40°, which indicates that it modified the CFNP surface from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. VSM analysis demonstrated that CoFe 2 O 4 .NPs@XG also retained the magnetic characteristics of the bare cobalt ferrite nanocrystals, endorsing its application as a promising magnetic nanovector (MNV). The synthesised CoFe 2 O 4 .NPs@XG-Doxo exhibited significantly higher controlled discharge of doxorubicin at acidic pH (5.0) than at neutral pH (7.4). In vitro analysis revealed the remarkable lower systematic toxicity of XGcoated CoFe 2 O 4 .NPs compared with uncoated CFNPs against Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) and Huh7 cell lines. Conclusion: These results indicate that XG-coated CFNPs are a biocompatible MNV for doxorubicin. Keywords: Cobalt ferrite, Cytotoxicity, Drug delivery, Nanoparticles, Xanthan gum
Highlights
Various nanosystems have been proposed to increase their implementation in several biological fields, such as cancer therapy, pharmaceuticals and tissue engineering [1]
We report the first investigation of encapsulating Cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (CFNPs) with xanthan gum (XG), which is an anionic polysaccharide that coats the cationic surface of the NPs
Superparamagnetic nanocrystals of cobalt ferrite has been readily synthesised by co-precipitation with their surface was modified by XG, a foodgrade hydrophilic polymer
Summary
Various nanosystems have been proposed to increase their implementation in several biological fields, such as cancer therapy, pharmaceuticals and tissue engineering [1]. Spinel ferrites (MFe2O4, M = Fe+2, Zn+2, Mn+2, Co+2 or Ni+2) are promising magnetic products for many biomedical applications. Cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (CFNPs) are suitable for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and targeted drug delivery (TDD) because of their tunable coercivity and excellent saturation magnetisation (Ms) [2]. Biomedical applications of native CFNPs are restricted because of their hydrophobic surface. Nanoferrite functionalization was carried out by coating with proteins, polymers, surfactants, starch or chitosan [11]. We report the first investigation of encapsulating CFNPs with xanthan gum (XG), which is an anionic polysaccharide that coats the cationic surface of the NPs. The biocompatibility of XG suggests a broad range of applications in the biomedical arena [12]
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