| In this work, a thermo and pH-responsive
poly-N-isopropylacrylamide-co-itaconic acid containing thiol side groups were successfully synthesized to prepare Doxorubicin-loaded polymer@Au/
Fe3O4 core/shell nanoparticles (DOX-NPs). Copolymer and NPs were fully characterized by FT-IR,
HNMR, photo-correlation spectroscopy, SEM, X-ray
diffraction, vibrating-sample magnetometer, thermal
gravimetric analysis, and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The
stimuli-responsive characteristics of NPs were evaluated by in vitro release study in simulated cancerous
environment. The biocompatibility and cytotoxic
properties of NPs and DOX-NPs are explored by
MTT method. The prepared NPs with the size of
50 nm showed paramagnetic characteristics with
suitable and stable dispersion at physiological
medium and high loading capacity (up to 55 %) of
DOX. DOX-NPs yielded a pH- and temperaturetriggered release of entrapped drugs at tumor tissue
environment (59 % of DOX release) compared to
physiological condition (20 % of DOX release)
during 48 h. In vitro cytotoxicity studies indicated
that the NPs showed no cytotoxicity on A549 cells at
different amounts after incubation for 72 h confirming its suitability as a drug carrier. DOX-NPs, on the
other hand, caused an efficient anticancer performance as verified by MTT assay test. It was
concluded that developed NPs by us in this study
may open the possibilities for targeted delivery of
DOX to the cancerous tissues. |