Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid Research Articles

Selective flotation of galena and sphalerite using N-(phosphonomethyl) iminodiacetic acid as an eco-friendly depressant

This study explored the use of N-(phosphonomethyl) iminodiacetic acid (PMIDA) as an eco-friendly depressant for the selective flotation of galena and sphalerite. Microflotation tests were performed to assess the effectiveness of PMIDA. Moreover, the depression mechanism of PMIDA was analyzed through solution chemistry calculations, zeta potential measurements, contact angle determination, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and density-functional theory calculations. Solution chemistry calculations revealed that the presence of PMIDA as PMIDA3− ions in the pulp optimized the depressive effect on sphalerite. Additionally, contact angle results indicated a significant improvement in the surface hydrophilic of sphalerite after PMIDA treatment. Zeta potential measurements revealed that the adsorption capacity of xanthate on the sphalerite surface after PMIDA treatment significantly decreased. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses indicated that the adsorption of PMIDA on the sphalerite surface was associated with the phosphate functional groups of PMIDA. Density-functional theory simulation data indicated preferential adsorption of PMIDA on the sphalerite surface. These results indicate the potential of PMIDA as a promising depressant to inhibit the flotation of sphalerite and facilitate the selective flotation of galena.

Features of doxorubicin adsorption on Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles coated with SiO2 or SiO2/aminopropylsilane

New nanocomposites based on Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles coated with SiO2 or SiO2/aminopropylsilane (APS), including those using N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid (PMIDA), were obtained, and the immobilization of the antitumor agent doxorubicin (Dox) on nanocomposites was examined. It has been shown that the binding of Dox to the negatively charged surface of SiO2 particles occurs more efficiently than that to the APS-modified surface with positively charged amino groups; the presence of PMIDA molecules on the surface significantly increased the loading content. Based on DFT calculations, a mechanism for Dox binding to the surface of the synthesized nanocomposites was proposed.

Recovery of water and valuable metals using low pressure nanofiltration and sequential adsorption from acid mine drainage

Acid mine drainage (AMD) contains an array of valuable resources such as Rare Earth Elements (REE) and Copper (Cu) which can be recovered along with fresh water. Low pressure nanofiltration with NF90 membrane was first studied to recover fresh water from synthetic AMD and concentration of dissolved metals for subsequent efficient selective recovery. Organic matter (OM) present in AMD was found to cause membrane fouling which resulted in significant flux decline. Powdered eggshell was investigated as a low-cost adsorbent for OM removal. The study showed that a 0.2 mg/l dose of powdered eggshell adsorbed 100% of OM and Fe with no significant loss of other dissolved metals. A steady permeate flux of 15.5 ± 0.2 L/m 2 h (LMH) was achieved for pre-treated AMD with a solute rejection rate of more than 98%. A chromium-based metal organic framework (MOF) modified with N - (phosphonomethyl) iminodiacetic acid (PMIDA) and an amine-grafted mesoporous silica (SBA15) material was synthesized for selective recovery of REE and Cu, respectively. The two adsorbents were used sequentially to selectively adsorb REE (91%) and Cu (90%) from pH adjusted concentrated feed. The formation of coordinating complexes with carboxylate and phosphonic groups on MOF was found to be the primary driving force for selective REE adsorption. Selective uptake of Cu onto amine-grafted SBA15 was due to the formation of strong chelating bonds between Cu and amine ligands. Both adsorbents remained structurally stable over 5 regeneration cycles. The findings here highlight the practical potential of membrane/adsorption hybrid systems for water and valuable metal (REE) recovery from AMD. • Low pressure NF achieved 80% permeate recovery while concentrating dissolved ions. • Modified MOF and SBA15-NH 2 selectively adsorbed 91% of REE and 90% of Cu. • REE show high affinity to deprotonated phosphonic and carboxyl groups in MOF. • Chelating bonds between Cu and amine groups in SBA15 promotes high selectivity. • High reuse capacity over multiple cycles recorded for both adsorbents.

Effect of the Silica-Magnetite Nanocomposite Coating Functionalization on the Doxorubicin Sorption/Desorption.

A series of new composite materials based on Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles coated with SiO2 (or aminated SiO2) were synthesized. It has been shown that the use of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid (PMIDA) to stabilize nanoparticles before silanization ensures the increased content of a SiO2 phase in the Fe3O4@SiO2 nanocomposites (NCs) in comparison with materials obtained under similar conditions, but without PMIDA. It has been demonstrated for the first time that the presence of PMIDA on the surface of NCs increases the level of Dox loading due to specific binding, while surface modification with 3-aminopropylsilane, on the contrary, significantly reduces the sorption capacity of materials. These regularities were in accordance with the results of quantum chemical calculations. It has been shown that the energies of Dox binding to the functional groups of NCs are in good agreement with the experimental data on the Dox sorption on these NCs. The mechanisms of Dox binding to the surface of NCs were proposed: simultaneous coordination of Dox on the PMIDA molecule and silanol groups at the NC surface leads to a synergistic effect in Dox binding. The synthesized NCs exhibited pH-dependent Dox release, as well as dose-dependent cytotoxicity in in vitro experiments. The cytotoxic effects of the studied materials correspond to their calculated IC50 values. NCs with a SiO2 shell obtained using PMIDA exhibited the highest effect. At the same time, the presence of PMIDA in NCs makes it possible to increase the Dox loading, as well as to reduce its desorption rate, which may be useful in the design of drug delivery vehicles with a prolonged action. We believe that the data obtained can be further used to develop stimuli-responsive materials for targeted cancer chemotherapy.

Phosphonomethyl iminodiacetic acid functionalized metal organic framework supported PAN composite beads for selective removal of La(III) from wastewater: Adsorptive performance and column separation studies

The rare earth elements being toxic in nature are being accumulated in water bodies as their industrial usage is growing exponentially, thus their efficient separation holds an immense significance. Herein, ligand functionalized metal organic framework (MOF), Phosphonomethyl iminodiacetic acid coordinated at Fe-BTC, was synthesized post-synthetically and incorporated subsequently in polyacrylonitrile polymer to prepare the composite beads via nonsolvent induced-phase-inversion technique for selective adsorption of La(III) from the wastewater in batch and dynamic column mode. XPS NMR, and FTIR were used to establish the interaction between functionalized ligand and unsaturated metal nodes of MOF. The adsorption capacity was 232.5 mg/g and 77.51 mg/g at 298 K of the functionalized MOF and composite beads respectively. Adsorption kinetics followed a pseudo-second order rate equation, and isotherm indicated the best fitting with Langmuir model. The dynamic behavior of the adsorption column packed with MOF/Polymer beads was fairly described by the Thomas model. The breakthrough time of 23.2 h could be attained with 12 cm of bed height and 10 ml/min of flow rate. These MOF/Polymer beads shown the selectivity of La over transitional metals were recycled over 5 times with about 15% loss of adsorption capacity. The findings provide suggestive insights of the potential use of functionalized MOF towards the separation of the rare earth element.

Silica coating of Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles with PMIDA assistance to increase the surface area and enhance peptide immobilization efficiency

The high efficiency of using N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid (PMIDA) as a surfactant for formation of a silica coating on Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with a large surface area has been demonstrated. The coating of PMIDA-stabilized MNPs with silica and their further APS-functionalization significantly increased the specific area (up to 203 m2 g−1) and the number of amino groups (up to 1.12 mmol/g) grafted on their surface compared to nanomaterials synthesized without preliminary SiO2-coating. The comparative study of the peptide modification efficiency, using as an example pH-low insertion peptide (pHLIP), of MNPs coated with 3-aminopropylsilane (APS) or SiO2/APS was carried out. It has been shown that silica coating of PMIDA-stabilized MNPs leads to a significant increase in the degree of immobilization of the peptide (up to 22 μmol per g of MNPs). Comprehensive characterization of the obtained materials at each stage of the synthesis was carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (EDX), BET analysis, ATR Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), termogravimetric analysis (TGA), CHN-elemental analysis, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The proposed approach to applying SiO2-coating of MNPs can be useful for design of new materials for biomedical and chemical purposes.

Surface modification and bioconjugation of anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody to magnetic nanoparticles as a highly efficient affinity adsorbent for positive selection of peripheral blood T CD4+ lymphocytes

Magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS) is a straightforward and time-saving procedure for isolation of different healthy functional cells. The present study aimed for the developing of a new MACS-based platform for isolation of peripheral blood T CD4+ lymphocytes. For this goal, first: Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) were prepared by co-precipitation of Fe (III) and Fe (II) ions and then coated by SiO2 shell, followed by the grafting of N-(phosphonomethyl) iminodiacetic acid (PMIDA) on the surface of fabricated MNP, Fe3O4@SiO2@PMIDA were formed. These MNP were further tested for their ability to bind CD4 T lymphocytes. Through conjugation of the anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody on the surface of Fe3O4@SiO2@PMIDA MNP. The newly developed immunomagnetic particles efficiently isolated T CD4+ lymphocytes from whole blood with high purity Therefore, our MNP afford an efficient tool for the cell separation process and further present the dramatic potential to be applied to other areas of biomedical application.

N, P-co-doped carbon dots as a dual-mode colorimetric/ratiometric fluorescent sensor for formaldehyde and cell imaging via anaminal reaction-induced aggregation process.

Novelcolorimetric and ratiometric fluorometric dual-mode N, P-co-doped carbon nanodots, BPEI-CDs, for highly sensitive and selective detection of formaldehyde (FA) were successfully prepared from N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid (PMIDA) and branched polyethyleneimine (BPEI). The treatment of FA caused a remarkable linear enhancement of ratiometric fluorescence (F501nm/F408nm) in a wide range of 0-40μM with a detection limit (LOD) of 0.47μM (3σ/k), along with distinct color changes from colorless to light yellow. Mechanistic study shows that this electron-rich system, formed by the cooperative roles of N and P, promoted the FA-induced Schiff bases formation reaction, which contributed to the CD aggregation-induced emission (AIE) "turn-on" response and enhancement of π-conjugation-induced bathochromic behaviors. Furthermore, N, P-co-doped BPEI-CDs were successfully applied to the determination ofFA in bean sprout samples. Using thestandard addition method, the recoveries ranged from 96.9 to 101.8%, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was in the range 2.23 to 3.21%. The application for intracellular FA sensing further verified thatthis novel nanoprobe may offer a new venue for the design of simple, low-cost, and sensitive biosensors. Graphical abstract.

Magnetic nanoparticles encapsulated laccase nanoflowers: evaluation of enzymatic activity and reusability for degradation of malachite green.

Magnetic laccase nanoflowers (MNFs-Lac) were successfully prepared through encapsulating Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles into the interior of laccase nanoflowers by grafting N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid (PMIDA) as an interconnecting bridge between the magnetic nanoparticles and copper ions. The characterizations by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy showed that MNFs-Lac were spherical, porous and flower-like crystals with diameters of ∼10 μm, and Fe3O4 nanoparticles were encapsulated in the interior of MNFs-Lac evenly. The enzymatic activity and reusability of MNFs-Lac were evaluated based on the degradation efficiency for malachite green (MG). The degradation parameters, concerning initial MG concentration, dosage of MNFs-Lac, reaction temperature, pH value and reaction time, were optimized through single-factor experiments. Under the optimal conditions, 25 mg·L-1 MG can be degraded almost completely by 1.5 g·L-1 MNFs-Lac within 15 min. When the MNFs-Lac were reused for 18 times, the degradation efficiency of MG was still as high as 90%. These results suggested that the modified preparation method improved greatly the reusability of MNFs-Lac, which made them more suitable to degrade MG in a water environment.

Immobilization of fluorescent protein TagGFP2 on Fe3O4-based magnetic nanoparticles

The immobilization of fluorescent protein TagGFP2 on Fe3O4-based magnetic nano particles (MNPs), preliminarily functionalized with 3-aminopropylsilane and N-(phosphonomethyl) iminodiacetic acid (PMIDA), was studied. Protein binding to MNPs depending on the nature of the surface functional groups, the medium, and the presence of a coupling agent, namely, 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide (EDC), was studied using fluorimetry, UV and IR spectroscopy. It was shown that protein immobilization can occur by both non-covalent and covalent binding with surface groups of MNPs. The best results (up to 150 μg of TagGFP2 per 1 mg of MNPs) were obtained for MNPs preliminarily functionalized with PMIDA and using EDC. The results of this study can be used for the design of imaging agents having both magnetic and optical properties to be applied in biomedicine.

Synthesis of Cu2+ Chelated Cellulose/Magnetic Hydroxyapatite Particles Hybrid Beads and Their Potential for High Specific Adsorption of Histidine-Rich Proteins

A novel method is described for facile fabrication of immobilized Cu2+ chelated cellulose/magnetic hydroxyapatite hybrid beads (denoted as Cu2+ Cell/MHAP) by an emulsification technique. In this process, the particles of MHAP, as the main component of the adsorbent, were prepared by simply mixing iron oxide with N-(phosphonomethyl)-iminodiacetic acid (PM-IDA) and followed by hydroxyapatite (HAP) deposition in aqueous solution. The obtained MHAP particles were suspended in cellulose solution and emulsified into Cell/MHAP hybrid beads. Finally, chelating Cu2+ on Cell/MHAP through oxygen ions of PO43– groups gave the immobilized metal affinity adsorbent. The combination of immobilized Cu2+ ligands, MHAP particles, and magnetic response together with the large size of the spherical cellulose support endowed the adsorbent with excellent adsorption selectivity, high adsorption capacity, and easy recovery of adsorbent from solvent, respectively. By physical characterization, Cu2+ Cell/MHAP possessed a large spec...

PMIDA-Modified Fe3O4 Magnetic Nanoparticles: Synthesis and Application for Liver MRI.

The surface modification of Fe3O4-based magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid (PMIDA) was studied, and the possibility of their use as magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents was shown. The effect of the added PMIDA amount, the reaction temperature and time on the degree of immobilization of this reagent on MNPs, and the hydrodynamic characteristics of their aqueous colloidal solutions have been systematically investigated for the first time. It has been shown that the optimum condition for the modification of MNPs is the reaction at 40 °C with an equimolar amount of PMIDA for 3.5 h. The modified MNPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric, and CHN elemental analyses. The dependence of the hydrodynamic characteristics of the MNP colloidal solutions on the concentration and pH of the medium was studied by the dynamic light scattering method. On the basis of the obtained data, we can assume that the PMIDA molecules are fixed on the surface of the MNPs as a monomolecular layer. The modified MNPs had good colloidal stability and high magnetic properties. The calculated relaxivities r2 and r1 were 341 and 102 mmol-1 s-1, respectively. The possibility of using colloidal solutions of PMIDA-modified MNPs as a T2 contrast agent for liver studies in vivo (at a dose of 0.6 mg kg-1) was demonstrated for the first time.

Effective surface modification of MnFe2O4@SiO2@PMIDA magnetic nanoparticles for rapid and high-density antibody immobilization

The present study is aimed at the synthesis of MnFe2O4@SiO2@PMIDA in terms of highly efficient sensing platform for anti-prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) immobilization. Superparamagnetic manganese ferrite nanoparticles were synthesized following co-precipitation method and then SiO2 shell was coated on the magnetic core with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) through a silanization reaction to prevent oxidation, agglomeration and, increase the density of OH groups on the surface of MnFe2O4. Subsequently, MnFe2O4@SiO2@PMIDA obtained as a result of the reaction between N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid (PMIDA) and MnFe2O4@SiO2. The reactive carboxyl groups on the surface of magnetic nanoparticles can efficiently conjugate to a monoclonal antibody, specific to PSMA, which was confirmed by enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA). Thus, this kind of functionalized magnetic nanoparticles is promising to be utilized in the improvement of ELISA-based biosensors and also will be effective in a variety of biomedical applications such as cell separation, diagnosis, and monitoring of human diseases.

Fabrication and Characterization of Magnetic Hydroxyapatite Entrapped Agarose Composite Beads with High Adsorption Capacity for Heavy Metal Removal

Magnetic hydroxyapatite entrapped agarose composite beads (M-HAP/Agar composite beads) have been successfully synthesized by emulsification of magnetic HAP nanoparticles with agarose suspension. In the process, the magnetic HAP nanoparticles served as the main resource for high adsorption performance, which were constructed by surface modification of Fe3O4 with N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid (PM-IDA) and followed by coating with HAP. This strategy integrates the distinct advantages of large-size beads and magnetic response for easy recovery as well as nanoparticles for high adsorption capacity. The resulting M-HAP/Agar composite beads display large specific surface area (90 m2 g–1) and uniform spherical shape (150 μm). These magnetic hydroxyapatite nanoparticles in beads can provide more adsorption sites due to their suitable porous structure. As a result, the adsorbent exhibits excellent performance in adsorption of Pb2+, Co2+, and Cu2+, showing maximum binding capacities as high as 842.6, 105.1, ...

The Impact of Glyphosate, Its Metabolites and Impurities on Viability, ATP Level and Morphological changes in Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells.

The toxicity of herbicides to animals and human is an issue of worldwide concern. The present study has been undertaken to assess toxic effect of widely used pesticide—glyphosate, its metabolites: aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) and methylphosphonic acid and its impurities: N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid (PMIDA), N-methylglyphosate, hydroxymethylphosphonic acid and bis-(phosphonomethyl)amine on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). We have evaluated the effect of those compounds on viability, ATP level, size (FSC-A parameter) and granulation (SSC-A parameter) of the cells studied. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells were exposed to different concentrations of glyphosate, its metabolites and impurities (0.01–10 mM) for 4 and 24 h. It was found that investigated compounds caused statistically significant decrease in viability and ATP level of PBMCs. The strongest changes in cell viability and ATP level were observed after 24 h incubation of PBMCs with bis-(phosphonomethyl)amine, and particularly PMIDA. Moreover, all studied compounds changed cell granularity, while PMIDA and bis-(phosphonomethyl)amine altered PBMCs size. It may be concluded that bis-(phosphonomethyl)amine, and PMIDA caused a slightly stronger damage to PBMCs than did glyphosate. Changes in the parameters studied in PBMCs were observed only at high concentrations of the compounds examined, which clearly shows that they may occur in this cell type only as a result of acute poisoning of human organism with these substances.

Preparation of cationic starch microspheres and study on their absorption to anionic-type substance.

Cationic starch microspheres (CSMs) were prepared from lab-made neutral starch-based microspheres using a cationic adsorbent, namely 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride, as the cationic etherifying agent. Detection by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and laser diffraction techniques revealed that CSMs had coarse surfaces with good sphericity and dispersibility. Differential thermal analysis showed the lower thermostability of the CSMs' main chains. Furthermore, scores of experiments confirmed that CSMs are capable of absorption to N-(phosphonomethyl) iminodiacetic acid (PMIDA), a type of anionic substance, which is the intermediate to the preparation of glyphosate, maximally up to 95.24 mg/g. Compared with the Freundlich isotherm model, the Langmuir isotherm model can better describe the absorption process. The kinetic study showed that the pseudo-second-order model demonstrated a better correlation of the experimental data in contrast with the pseudo-first-order model. It can be therefore concluded that the rate-limiting step was the chemical absorption rather than the mass transport.

Phosphonomethyl iminodiacetic acid-conjugated cobalt oxide nanoparticles liberate Co(++) ion-induced stress associated activation of TNF-α/p38 MAPK/caspase 8-caspase 3 signaling in human leukemia cells.

The aim of this work is to understand the potential health effects of metal nanoparticles by exposing human leukemic cell lines (jurkat, K562 and KG1A cells) to nanosize phosphonomethyl iminodiacetic acid coated cobalt oxide (PMIDA-CoO) NPs. The synthesized PMIDA-CoO NPs were characterized by XRD, dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Our results showed that exposure of leukemic cell lines to PMIDA-CoO NPs caused reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by increasing the concentration of free Co(++) ions in cancer microenvironment. But at physiological pH, PMIDA-CoO liberates little amount of Co(++) ions into media and exerts lower toxicity to normal cells up to a certain dose. PMIDA-CoO NPs caused DNA damage in leukemic cell lines, which was reflected by an increase in apoptosis of jurkat, KG-1A and K562 cells. PMIDA-CoO NPs induced apoptosis by increasing pro-inflammatory cytokines, primarily TNF-α. The in vivo study shows that PMIDA-CoO NPs were efficiently killed DLA cells. These findings have important implications for understanding the potential anticancer property induced by surface-modified cobalt oxide nanoparticles.

Measurement and correlation of the solubility of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid in different organic solvents

The solubility of N-(phosphonomethyl) iminodiacetic acid (PMIDA) in methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, 1-butanol, 1-pentanol, 1-hexanol, acetone, methylbenzene and ethyl acetate were measured over a temperature range from 293.15 to 343.15K under atmospheric pressure. The hypothetical enthalpy of fusion and melting temperature of PMIDA were estimated. The Scatchard–Hildebrand (SH) model, the Wilson model, the nonrandom two-liquid (NRTL) model and the universal quasi-chemical (UNIQUAC) model were applied to correlate the solid–liquid equilibrium. It is shown that the Wilson model can give better results than NRTL and UNIQUAC model. The solubility parameter of PMIDA was obtained based on the SH model.

The effect of metabolites and impurities of glyphosate on human erythrocytes (in vitro)

The toxicity of herbicides to animals and human is an issue of worldwide concern. The present study was undertaken to evaluate toxic potential of widely used pesticide – glyphosate, its metabolites: aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA); methylphosphonic acid and its impurities: N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid (PMIDA), N-methylglyphosate, hydroxymethylphosphonic acid and bis-(phosphonomethyl)amine.We evaluated the effect of those compounds on hemolysis, hemoglobin oxidation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and changes in morphology of human erythrocytes. The erythrocytes were exposed to different concentrations of glyphosate and its metabolites and impurities (0.01–5mM) for 1, 4 and 24h.Glyphosate, its metabolites and impurities induced a little hemolysis and hemoglobin oxidation. All changes were very low, even after 24h incubation. Most of the investigated compounds induced reactive oxygen species formation from 0.25mM, except the N-methylglyphosate which caused an increase in ROS formation from 0.5mM. Moreover, the investigated xenobiotics did not change the size and shape (except bis-(phosphonomethyl)amine) of the human erythrocytes.Changes in human erythrocytes were observed only when high concentrations of the compounds were applied. Some investigated metabolites and impurities caused a slight stronger damage to human erythrocytes than a glyphosate.The results clearly show that the changes induced in the erythrocytes can occur only as a result of poisoning with these compounds.

Surface modification of cobalt oxide nanoparticles using phosphonomethyl iminodiacetic acid followed by folic acid: a biocompatible vehicle for targeted anticancer drug delivery.

The aim of our study was to prepare multifunctional, biocompatible nanoparticles for site-specific drug delivery. Hydrophilic nanoparticles with surface-adorned amine, carboxyl, or aldehyde groups, to be later used for bio-conjugation, were designed using phosphonomethyl iminodiacetic acid (PMIDA) as the coupling agent. These PMIDA-coated cobalt oxide nanoparticles (PMIDA-CoO) were further functionalized with folic acid (FA), using simple technique. The particles show excellent aqueous dispersion stability in physiological pH without any deterioration in hydrodynamic size. The cytotoxicity and internalization efficiency of these nanocarriers have been evaluated on folate receptor over expressed KB and folate receptor lower expressed KG1a cells. Anticancer drugs such as doxorubicin and methotrexate were successfully attached to the folic acid-decoded PMIDA-CoO nanoparticles by simple reactions. Anticancer drug-loaded nanoparticles (FA-PMIDA-CoO) exhibit elevated cytotoxicity and induce apoptosis in cancer cells, which were confirmed by flow cytometry. Fluorescence microscopy study shows the higher amount of internalization of the noncomplex by KB cells, which clearly demonstrated that cells overexpressing the human folate receptor internalized a higher level of these nanoparticles–folate conjugates than folate receptor-negative control cells.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12645-013-0042-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.