Folic acid conjugated magnetic drug delivery system for controlled release of doxorubicin

Targeting tumors by means of their vascular endothelium is a promising strategy, which utilizes targets that are easily accessible, stable, and do not develop resistance against therapeutic agents. Folate receptor is a highly specific tumor marker, frequently over expressed in cancer tumors. In the present study, an active drug delivery system, which can effectively target cancer cells by means of folate receptor-mediated endocytosis, have ability to escape from opsonization and capability of magnetic targeting to withstand the drag force of the body fluid have been designed and synthesized. The core of the drug delivery system is of mono-domain magnetic particles of magnetite. Magnetite nanoparticles are shielded with PEG, which prevents their phagocytosis by reticuloendothelial system. These PEG shielded magnetite nanoparticles are further decorated with an antitumor receptor—folic acid and loaded with an antineoplastic agent doxorubicin. An in vitro drug loading and release kinetics study reveals that the drug delivery system can take 52 % of drug load and can release doxorubicin over a sustained period of 7 days. The control and sustained release over a period of several days may find its practical utilities in chemotherapy where frequent dosing is not possible.