Synthesis and encapsulation of magnetite nanoparticled in PLGA

Abstract

Hydrophobic superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle (SPION) encapsulate within poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) particles were prepared by the w/o/w emulsion technique using PVA as a surfactant. The oleic acid surface of the SPIONs and their suspension were to ensure sufficient entrapment in the PLGA matrix at the first oil phase. The amounts of PLGA entrapment were varied (5 mg/ml, 15 mg/ml, 30 mg/ml, 45 mg/ml, and 60 mg/ml) to investigate the efficiency of composite SPION-PLGA nanoparticles for drug loading and drug release. The obtained composite particles were almost spherical, with the magnetite particles ranging in diameter from 6 mn to 17 nm, individually dispersed into the PLGA particles, as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Sizes of the composite particles varied from 300 nm to 400 nm, measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS), while the zeta potential remained about -25 mV, independently of SPION presence. Saturation magnetization was measured by a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), the magnetization properties were found to be proportional to the amount of magnetite in PLGA. The high magnetizations (36 emu/g to 50 emu/g) under external magnetic field demonstrated that the biodegradable composite nanoparticles were suitable as a potential platform for a model of magnetic drug carrier for targeted delivery.