Title:pH-Sensitive Magnetite Nanoparticles Modified with Hyperbranched Polymers and Folic Acid for Targeted Imaging and Therapy
VOLUME: 16 ISSUE: 9
Author(s):Seyed Jamal Tabatabaei Rezaei*, Asemeh Mashhadi Malekzadeh, Ali Ramazani and Hassan Niknejad
Affiliation:Laboratory of novel drug delivery systems, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Zanjan, P.O. Box 45195-313, Zanjan, Laboratory of novel drug delivery systems, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Zanjan, P.O. Box 45195-313, Zanjan, Laboratory of novel drug delivery systems, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Zanjan, P.O. Box 45195-313, Zanjan, Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran
Keywords:Magnetic nanoparticles, targeted drug delivery, pH-sensitive, magnetic resonance imaging, nanoparticles, hyperbranched
polymers.
Abstract:
Objective: A novel pH-sensitive superparamagnetic drug delivery system was developed
based on quercetin loaded hyperbranched polyamidoamine-b-polyethylene glycol-folic acid-modified
Fe3O4 nanoparticles (Fe3O4@PAMAM-b-PEG-FA).
Methods: The nanoparticles exhibit excellent water dispersity with well-defined size distribution
(around 51.8 nm) and strong magnetisability. In vitro release studies demonstrated that the quercetinloaded
Fe3O4@PAMAM-b-PEG-FA nanoparticles are stable at normal physiologic conditions (pH 7.4
and 37°C) but sensitive to acidic conditions (pH 5.6 and 37°C), which led to the rapid release of the
loaded drug.
Results: Fluorescent microscopy results indicated that the Fe3O4@PAMAM-b-PEG-FA nanoparticles
could be efficiently accumulated in tumor tissue compared with non-folate conjugated nanoparticles.
Also, in comparison with free quercetin, the quercetin loaded Fe3O4@PAMAM-b-PEG-FA exerts
higher cytotoxicity. Furthermore, this magnetic nanocarrier showed high MRI sensitivity, even in its
lower iron content.
Conclusion: The results indicated that the prepared nanoparticles are an effective chemotherapy and
diagnosis system to inhibit proliferation and monitor the progression of tumor cells, respectively.