Design of a pH-sensitive magnetic composite hydrogel based on salecan graft copolymer and FeO@SiO nanoparticles as drug carrier.

Salecan, a novel water-soluble extracellular β-glucan, is very suitable for the hydrogel preparation. Here, pH-sensitive magnetic composite hydrogel was fabricated by the graft copolymerization of crotonic acid (CA) and N-(hydroxymethyl) acrylamide (HMAA) onto salecan in the presence of FeO@SiO nanoparticles for doxorubicin (DOX) delivery. The embedment of FeO@SiO nanoparticles into salecan-g-poly(CA-co-HMAA) hydrogel network endowed the material with magnetic property. In addition, DOX not only achieved effectively bound to the composite hydrogel, but also released in a controlled and pH-dependent manner. The application of an external magnetic field could significantly enhance the drug release rate. More importantly, the released DOX preserved its bioavailability. Taken together, these hydrogel drug carriers provide a promising platform for magnetically targeted drug delivery.