Magnetic nanoparticle embedded chitosan-based polymeric network for the hydrophobic drug delivery of paclitaxel.

Safe delivery of hydrophobic drugs to the tumor site is a major problem for the scientific community. To improve the in vivo efficacy of hydrophobic drugs by avoiding solubility concerns and providing targeted delivery by nanoparticle, we have developed robust iron oxide nanoparticles coated chitosan with ([2- (methacryloyloxy) ethyl] trimethyl ammonium chloride) (METAC) [CS-IONPs-METAC-PTX] as a drug carrier for the delivery of hydrophobic drug, paclitaxel (PTX). Drug carrier was characterized using various techniques like FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM, DLS and VSM. Maximum drug release of 93.50 ± 2.80 % from CS-IONPs-METAC-PTX occurs at pH 5.5 in 24 h. Significantly, the nanoparticles exhibited excellent therapeutic efficacy when appraised in L929 (Fibroblast) cell lines with a good cell viability profile. CS-IONPs-METAC-PTX shows excellent cytotoxic effect in MCF-7 cell lines. In 100 μg/mL concentration, CS-IONPs-METAC-PTX formulation shows 13.46 ± 0.40 % of cell viability. Selectivity index of 2.12 indicates the highly selective and safe performance of CS-IONPs-METAC-PTX. Admirable hemocompatibility of the developed polymer material demonstrating its applicability towards drug delivery. Results of the investigation substantiate that the prepared drug carrier is a potent material for the delivery of PTX.