Synthesis, characterization and theranostic applications ofbiocompatible magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles

In this study, a new research has been added to the treatment of cancer, the disease that causes the most deaths in the world. Docetaxel is an important chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of prostate cancer, which is the third most deadly cancer type in the world. However, chemotherapeutic drugs have some undesirable properties such as rapid elimination from the body, causing significant damage to healthy tissues as well as cancerous tissue, and being hydrophobic. Researchers have been trying for years to minimize the negative effects of these features. In our study, a new carrier system was synthesized for Docetaxel in order to extend the elimination time, to protect healthy tissues by increasing its entry into tumor tissues, to be applied locally by adding the ability to react to the magnetic field, and to improve its therapeutic effect by functionalization. First, ɤ-Fe2O3 (Maghemit), a Super Paramagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticle (SPION), was synthesized so that the nanoparticle has the ability to be targeted to the desired tissue. It was then coated with Citric Acid (CA) for functionalization, aggregation prevention and stability. Afterwards, Leu-Gly dipeptide was attached to increase the interaction efficiency between the carrier system and the drug, and finally, Pluronic F127, an amphiphilic polymer, was added to the nanoparticle. Thus, a magnetically targetable, biocompatible-biodegradable polymer carrier material with an amphiphilic structure has been synthesized. The synthesized carrier was characterized by XRD, ICP-MS, SEM, TEM and VSM analyzes and the structure was elucidated. Then, Docetaxel was bound to the nanoparticle and the therapeutic suitability of the system was investigated by MTT, Apoptosis and ROS measurement tests. The results showed that the synthesized nanoparticle did not have a cytotoxic effect at appropriate doses and that the viability of the tumor cell was significantly reduced, depending on the dose and time, as a result of Docetaxel binding. For these reasons, it can be said that the synthesized nanoparticle is a useful candidate to be a Docetaxel transport system. Keywords: SPION, Docetaxel, polymer micelles, drug delivery system, prostate cancer, MTT assay, Apoptosis, ROS generation