The use of nanoparticles functionalized with amphiphilic molecules as drug targeting vectors

Background and objective: Over the years, the use of nano-carriers in the treatment of various diseases, especially cancer, attracted the attention of many scientists. The presence of nanoparticles in the drug delivery system requires protection and high sensitivity. Proper transfer of nanoparticles to the target site requires the use of protective lipophilic systems. In recent years, the use of crown ethers as the carriers of nanoparticles has been very much considered. For example, in 2017, Moorthy et al. presented the synthesis of crown ether triad (CET) units gated core-shell magnetic mesoporous silica (FeNP@SiOH@CET) nano-carrier system. Their goal was to design a nano-carrier system for evaluating doxorubicin in pH-responsive drug delivery and magnetic hyperthermia applications in cancer treatment. Different parts of the FeNP@SiOH@CET have different roles. Surface gated CET units act as a gatekeeper, mesoporous silica shell act as the reservoir for drug loading and the magnetic Fe3O4 core act as hyperthermia agent. Material and Method: Ferric chloride (FeCl3.6H2O), ethylene glycol, ammonium hydroxide, ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3), and other materials were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich. The general method included synthesis of crown ether triad (CET) units, magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles, core-shell magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles, surface modification onto the magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles and drug loading into the FeNP@SiOH@EDA nanoparticles. The surface modified CET gating units can effectively protect the encapsulated drugs (Dox) inside the mesopores of the FeNP@SiOH@CET NP system under physiological pH conditions and show a pH-responsive release performance under acidic pH environments in the presence of an alternating magnetic field (AMF) (Fig. 1).Fig.1 Schematic representation for the fabrication of CET gated core-shell magnetic mesoporous silica FeNP@SiOH@CET NPs system and its potential drug delivery and magnetic hyperthermia applications. Findings: The MTT assay and intracellular uptake results evidenced that the synthesized FeNP@SiOH@CET NPs are biocompatible and can efficiently be taken up by MDA-MB-231 cells. Conclusion: From all the experimental results, it could be concluded that the FeNP@SiOH@CET NPs are an efficient drug carrier for loading and pH and magnetic hyperthermia-based combined stimuli-responsive release of anticancer drugs in cancer therapy.

کلیدواژه ها:

Student Research Committee ، School of pharmacy ، Hamedan University of medical sciences ، Hamedan ، Iran