A double-targeted magnetic nanocarrier with potential application in hydrophobic drug delivery

摘要

A double-targeted magnetic nanocarrier based with potential applications in the delivery of hydrophobic drugs has been developed. It consists of magnetite (Fe _3O _4) nanoparticles encapsulated in self-assembled micelles of the amphiphilic copolymer MPEG-PLGA [methoxy poly (ethylene glycol)-poly (d,l-lactide-co-glycolide)], and was fabricated using the solvent-evaporation technique. The magnetic nanocarrier has a very stable core-shell structure and is superparamagnetic. Its cytotoxicity was evaluated using the MTT assay with three cell lines-HeLa, MCF-7, and HT1080; it exhibited no cytotoxicity against any tested line at concentrations of up to 400μg/mL after incubation for 24h. Its cellular uptake was studied by Prussian blue staining and by fluorescence microscopy after encapsulating a fluorescent probe (hydrophobic quantum dots) into the nanocarrier. Finally, the magnetic targeting property of the magnetic nanocarrier was confirmed by an in vitro test. Overall, the results obtained demonstrate the potential of the double-targeted nanocarrier for the intracellular delivery of hydrophobic drugs.