Engineered nanomaterials have been explored for chemotherapeutic
drug delivery systems toward improved therapeutic effects. In this
study, magnetic nanospheres consisting of MCM-41 formed onto iron
oxide nanoparticles (MIO NPs) to form MMCM with cross-linked shells
of Pluronic F127 (PF) and polyethylenimine (PEI) to form (MMFPEI NSs)
nanospheres were synthesized. These nanospheres were loaded with doxorubicin
(DOX) anticancer drug for drug-controlled release and therapeutic
efficacy evaluations in mice. Nanoscale/core–shell MMFPEI NSs
were successfully formed as indicated by the TEM analysis. The microstructural
analysis revealed the presence of three peaks corresponding to indexed
reflections (100), (110), and (200) of MCM-41. The MMFPEI NSs displayed
a pH-/thermoresponsive drug release of 84.76% under a simulated tumor
microenvironment. Principally, the Peppas-Sahlin, Weibull, and Korsmeyer-Peppas
models, respectively, provided the best fitting for our drug delivery
system with the highest correlation degree of coefficient (R
2) and the lowest AIC. The kinetics studies
for diffusion exponent indicated that the MMFPEI NSs possessed predominantly
Fickian diffusion behavior. The growth retardation results of HepG2
cells showed that when compared with free DOX, the MMFPEI-DOX NSs
exhibited statistically significant stronger cell inhibition efficacy
at the dosages of 2, 5, and 10 μg/mL after 24 and 48 h of incubation.
According to the in vivo therapeutic assessments,
the tumor sizes upon inoculation with PBS, MMFPEI NSs, PBS-DOX, and
MMFPEI-DOX NSs were 1302.7, 1165.6, 830.9, and 382.6 mm3, respectively. Therefore, the formulated nanospheres have great
probable for drug delivery in cancer therapy to overcome the limits
of traditional chemotherapy.