| Modern chemotherapeutic anticancer treatments have come a long way in the fight against breast
cancer, thus bringing science closer to a cure. However, the nature of these drugs is to attack
both cancerous and non-cancerous cells at the same time. In our studies, we synthesized
Magnetic Cyclodextrin-polyurethane based nano-composite (Fe3O4-ECA-PU-CD) which is a drug
delivery system using a biocompatible magnetic polymer that directs chemotherapeutic drugs to
cancerous regions in the body with an external magnet. This nano-composite was able to facilitate
the loading and simultaneous release of the hydrophilic antitumor drug Doxorubicin (DOX) along
with the hydrophobic antitumor drug docetaxel. The composite was made using a simple co-precipitation method with magnetic nano-particles (MNPs) followed by a silica coating process and
an in situ polymerization process. Verification of synthesis for the drug carrier was carried out
using techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), and a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) to
measure magnetic properties. Drug loading and release efficiencies were monitored using an
HPLC-UV detector. Finally, an MTT assay was performed in order to evaluate the biocompatibility
and toxicity of the synthetic nano-composite on MCF7 cell lines. Our findings present a new biocompatible drug delivery system with a high capacity for loading and directing two different chemotherapeutic drugs simultaneously to cancer sites with little to no toxicity to the surrounding
non-cancerous cells. These studies present a viable tool for cancer treatment and research where
the cancer is efficiently removed while the patient remains healthy |