Magnetite Nano-crystallites for Anti-cancer Drug Delivery

Quite recently, the use of magnetic nanoparticles has triggered immense interest in biomedicine. In particular, magnetite nano-crystallites, being highly biocompatible, have emerged as the best candidate due to their potential applications in medical fields for instance in anti-cancer drug delivery. In this context, the magnetite nano-crystallites have been synthesized using a novel sol-gel based auto-combustion method and to investigate the specific magnetic properties. The crystal structure of the magnetite phase was confirmed by the data obtained from X-ray diffraction. Scherrer's formula was employed to estimate the crystallite size of the magnetite nanoparticles. Vibrating sample magnetometer was employed to investigate the magnetic characteristics of the samples that confirmed the superparamagnetic nature of the magnetite samples, essentially required for cancer treatment. These nanoparticles could further be modified and functionalized by suitable polymers to achieve better biocompatibility before being injected into the diseased cells.