Albumin coated arginine-capped magnetite nanoparticles as a paclitaxel vehicle: Physicochemical characterizations and in vitro evaluation

Today, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were investigated for utilizing as a candidate for theranostic approaches in medicine. Because of the low solubility of paclitaxel (PTX) in aqueous media, finding a suitable delivery system for tumor treatment is desirable. Here, l-arginine-capped magnetite nanoparticles (Arg-MNPs) were synthesized and characterized. Arg-MNPs were superparamagnetic with an average size of 19.5 ± 5.3 nm obtained by field emission scanning electron microscopy and 22.1 ± 4.8 nm obtained by transmission electron microscopy. The effectiveness of Arg-MNPs on contrast enhancement in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was confirmed in agar phantoms. Then, Arg-MNPs were coated in a core/shell structure with human serum albumin (HSA/Arg-MNPs) and were investigated as a carrier for PTX. The data indicated that this magnetically targeted drug delivery system provides an effective treatment for breast cancer cells. Also, the carrier did not show any side effects on cell viability.