In this study, we synthesized hollow porous iron oxide
nanoparticles
(HPIONPs) with surface modifications using polymers, specifically
chitosan (Chi), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and alginate (Alg), to
improve colloidal stability and biocompatibility. For colloidal stability,
Alg-coated HPIONPs maintained size stability up to 24 h, with only
an 18% increase, while Chi, PEG, and uncoated HPIONPs showed larger
size increases ranging from 64 to 140%. The biocompatibility of polymer-coated
HPIONPs was evaluated by assessing their cell viability, genotoxicity,
and hemocompatibility. Across tested concentrations from 6.25 to 100
μg/mL, both uncoated and polymer-coated HPIONPs showed minimal
cytotoxicity against three normal cell lines: RAW264.7, 3T3-L1, and
MCF10A, with cell viability exceeding 80% at the highest concentration.
Notably, polymer-coated HPIONPs exhibited nongenotoxicity based on
the micronucleus assay and showed hemocompatibility, with only 2–3%
hemolysis in mouse blood, in contrast to uncoated HPIONPs which exhibited
4–5%. Furthermore, we evaluated the cytotoxicity of HPIONPs
on MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells after a 2 h exposure to a stationary
magnetic field, and the results showed the highest cell death of 38
and 29% when treated with uncoated and polymer-coated HPIONPs at 100
μg/mL, respectively. This phenomenon is attributed to iron catalyzing
the Fenton and Haber-Weiss reactions, leading to reactive oxygen species
(ROS)-dependent cell death (r ≥ 0.98). In
conclusion, the hydrothermal synthesis and subsequent surface modification
of HPIONPs with polymers showed improved colloidal stability, nongenotoxicity,
and hemocompatibility compared to uncoated HPIONPs while maintaining
closely similar levels of cytotoxicity against both normal and cancer
cells. This research has paved the way for further exploration of
polymer coatings to enhance the overall performance and safety profile
of magnetic nanoparticles in delivering anticancer drugs.