Synthesis of Magnetic Nanocarrier Conjugated by Folate Based on Tragacanth and In Vitro Investigation of their Efficiency on Breast Cancer Cells

Abstract

In this research, a novel nanocarrier is synthesized based on tragacanth as a natural polysaccharide. For this purpose, carboxymethyl tragacanth (CMT) is first synthesized from tragacanth and then it is functionalized with isocyanate (IS) groups. In another parallel synthesis, magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) are prepared by the co-precipitation method and coated with SiO 2 to form MNPs coated SiO 2 (MNPs@SiO 2 ). Then MNPs@SiO 2 is reacted with CMT-IS to form Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 /CMT. In the second step, the MNPs@SiO 2 /CMT surface is aminated by reaction with 3-amino propyl triethoxy silane (APTES) and then it is reacted with folic acid (FA) as a targeting agent to form MNPs@SiO 2 /CMT/FA nanocarrier. The synthesized nanocarrier is characterized by FT-IR, SEM, EDX, TEM, XRD, VSM, TGA, and zeta potential analysis and then it is loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) as a typical anti-cancer drug. The in vitro drug release studies are carried out from the DOX-loaded nanocarrier. The pH sensitivity of the DOX-loaded nanocarrier is examined attwo different pHs. The effect of DOX-loaded nanocarrier is investigated on MCF7 human breast cancer cells and the rate of cancer cell death is determined by MTT assay and drug IC50. The changes in the morphology of the tumor cell nuclei are observed using fluorescence microscopy.

Recent Progress and Challenges Regarding Magnetite-Based Nanoparticles for Targeted Drug Delivery

“…The silica-coated magnetite nanoparticles (Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 ) also served as the initial material for the nanocarrier, which was then modified with tragacanth gum derivative-a natural anionic polysaccharide characterized by a multibranched structure-and folic acid as a targeting agent [47]. Coating of magnetite nanoparticles with carboxymethyl tragacanth ensures a hydrophilic surface that protects against agglomeration, increases the dispersion of nanoparticles, and improves bioavailability.…”

“…Additionally, the nanocarrier was considered biocompatible because only a small, negligible hemolytic effect was observed for high dosage. The silica-coated magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4@SiO2) also served as the initial material for the nanocarrier, which was then modified with tragacanth gum derivative-a natural anionic polysaccharide characterized by a multibranched structure-and folic acid as a targeting agent [47]. Coating of magnetite nanoparticles with carboxymethyl The application of other natural polysaccharides, such as alginate, was presented in synthesizing pH-and redox-responsive magnetic hydrogel for targeted DOX delivery [48].…”

“…Fluorescence microscopy, both conventional and confocal, is one of such methods, chosen for its relatively straightforward experimental setup. Its utilization was identified in numerous original papers referenced in this review [46][47][48]50,51,63,71,73,80,84,88,90,95,[101][102][103][104]110,117]. It allows for studying extensive cell populations or relatively sizable tissue samples.…”