Magnetic Nano-Amorphous-Iron-Oxide-Based Drug Delivery System with Dual Therapeutic Mechanisms

Smart nanoparticles that respond to pathophysiological parameters, such as pH, GSH, and Hbegin{document}$ _2 $end{document}Obegin{document}$ _2 $end{document}, have been developed with the huge and urgent demand for the high-efficient drug delivery systems (DDS) for cancer therapy. Herein, cubic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-modified mesoporous amorphous iron oxide (AFe) nanoparticles (AFe-PEG) have been successfully prepared as pH-stimulated drug carriers, which can combine doxorubicin (DOX) with a high loading capacity of 948 mg/g, forming a novel multifunctional AFe-PEG/DOX nanoparticulate DDS. In an acidic microenvironment, the AFe-PEG/DOX nanoparticles will not only release DOX efficiently, but also release Fe ions to catalyze the transformation of Hbegin{document}$ _2 $end{document}Obegin{document}$ _2 $end{document} to begin{document}$ cdot $end{document}OH, acting as fenton reagents. In vitro experimental results proved that the AFe-PEG/DOX nanoparticles can achieve combination of chemotherapeutic (CTT) and chemodynamic therapeutic (CDT) effects on Hela tumor cells. Furthermore, the intrinsic magnetism of AFe-PEG/DOX makes its cellular internalization efficiency be improved under an external magnetic field. Therefore, this work develops a new and promising magnetically targeted delivery and dual CTT/CDT therapeutic nano-medicine platform based on amorphous iron oxide.