Remote controlled drug release from multi-functional FeO/GO/Chitosan microspheres fabricated by an electrospray method.

The construction of multifunctional microspheres for remote controlled drug release requires the exquisite selection of composite materials and preparation approaches. In this study, chitosan, an amino polysaccharide, was blended with inorganic nanocomponents, FeO and graphene oxide (GO) and electrosprayed to fabricate uniform microspheres with the diameters ranging from 100μm to 1100μm. An anti-cancer drug, doxorubicin (DOX), was loaded to the microspheres by an adsorption or embedding method. The microsphere is responsive to magnetic fields due to the presence of FeO, and the incorporation of GO enhanced the drug loading capacity. The fast stimuli-responsive release of DOX can be facilely controlled by using NIR irradiation due to the strong photo-thermal conversion of FeO and GO In addition, ultrasound was used as another external stimulus for DOX release. The results suggest the FeO/GO/Chitosan microspheres fabricated by the electrospray method provide an efficient platform for remote controlled drug release, which may have potential applications in drug eluting microspheres.