Study of carbonyl iron/poly(butylcyanoacrylate) (core/shell) particles as anticancer drug delivery systems: Loading and release properties

The aim of this study is to develop a detailed investigation of the capabilities of carbonyl iron/poly(butylcyanoacrylate) (core/shell) particles for the loading and release of 5-Fluorouracil and Ftorafur. The anionic polymerization procedure, used to obtain poly(alkylcyanoacrylate) nanoparticles for drug delivery, was followed in the synthesis of the composite particles, except that the polymerization medium was a carbonyl iron suspension. The influence of the two mechanisms of drug incorporation (entrapment in the polymeric network and surface adsorption) on the drug loading and release profiles were investigated by means of spectrophotometric and electrophoretic measurements. The optimum loading conditions were ascertained and used to perform drug release evaluations. Among the factors affecting drug loading, both pH and drug concentration were found to be the main determining ones. For both drugs, the release profile was found to be biphasic, since the drug adsorbed on the surface was released rather rapidly (close to 100% in 1 h), whereas the drug incorporated in the polymer matrix required between 10 and 20 h to be fully released. The kinetics of the drug release from the core/shell particles was mainly controlled by the pH of the release medium, the type of drug incorporation, and the amount of drug loaded.