Preparation and characterization novel polymer-coated magnetic nanoparticles as carriers for doxorubicin

The poly(lactide-co-glycolide)-coated magnetic nanoparticles (PLGA MNPs) were prepared as carriers of doxorubicin (PLGA–DOX MNPs) through water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) emulsification method. The characteristics of PLGA–DOX MNPs were measured by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and vibrating-sampling magnetometry (VSM). It was found that the synthesized nanoparticles were spherical in shape with an average size of 100 ± 20 nm, low aggregation and good magnetic responsivity. Meanwhile, the drug content and encapsulation efficiency of nanoparticles can be achieved by varying the feed weight ratios of PLGA and DOX particles. These PLGA–DOX MNPs also demonstrated sustained release of DOX at 37 °C in buffer solution. Besides, influence of drug-loaded nanoparticles on in vitro cytotoxicity was determined by MTT assay, while cellular apoptosis was detected by Annexin V-FITC apoptosis detection kit. The results showed that PLGA–DOX MNPs retained significant antitumor activities. Therefore, PLGA–DOX MNPs might be considered a promising drug delivery system for cancer chemotherapy.

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► A novel strategy for the design of drug carriers via a double emulsion technique was reported.
► Magnetic nanoparticles may be incorporated into the carriers.
► The encapsulation efficiency increased greatly as the PLGA increased.
► DOX continually released from the matrix prolonged the cytotoxic effect compared to the free DOX.