Fabrication of biopolymers-modified magnetic graphene oxide and investigation of their application as a drug delivery system

With technological advances, the biomedical applications of magnetic nanoparticles have grown significantly. The primary objective of the research is to develop a drug delivery system that could potentially be used in cancer treatment. Magnetic graphene oxide was synthesized and characterized using FTIR-ATR, SEM-EDX, XRD, and VSM analyses. The analysis results demonstrated that the graphene oxide structure was successfully modified to impart magnetic properties. The synthesized nanoparticles and their surfaces were coated with chitosan, sodium alginate, and hybrid chitosan-sodium alginate biopolymers to investigate their potential use as drug delivery systems. Doxorubicin (DOX), used in cancer treatment, was loaded onto the synthesized nanoparticles at a physiological pH (7.4). The highest loading efficiency of 78.53% was achieved with the mGO-CH-SA structure. Drug release experiments were conducted at physiological pH conditions (7.4) and at the acidic microenvironment of tumor tissues (5.5) mimicking tumor microsimulation. The highest release rate, 38%, was observed in the mGO-CH-SA sample. Release rates indicate that magnetic nanoparticles exhibit a pH-sensitive release mechanism. Release experiments indicate that drug release is largely diffusion-controlled, with more controlled drug release in acidic environments. The results indicate that magnetic graphene oxides coated with biopolymers can be used as drug delivery systems for cancer treatment.