Preparation of Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles coated with gallic acid for drug delivery

BACKGROUND AND METHODS Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles were prepared using a sonochemical method under atmospheric conditions at a Fe²⁺ to Fe³⁺ molar ratio of 1:2. The iron oxide nanoparticles were subsequently coated with chitosan and gallic acid to produce a core-shell structure. RESULTS X-ray diffraction demonstrated that the magnetic nanoparticles were pure Fe₃O₄ with a cubic inverse spinel structure. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were of spherical shape with a mean diameter of 11 nm, compared with 13 nm for the iron oxide-chitosan-gallic acid (FCG) nanocarriers. CONCLUSION The magnetic nanocarrier enhanced the thermal stability of the drug, gallic acid. Release of the active drug from the FCG nanocarrier was found to occur in a controlled manner. The gallic acid and FCG nanoparticles were not toxic in a normal human fibroblast (3T3) line, and anticancer activity was higher in HT29 than MCF7 cell lines.