Title
Freezing-thawing assisted synthesis of novel carrageenan nanomagnetic beads for controlled release of antitumor drugs
Authors
HOSSEIN HOSSEINZADEH

Received May 26, 2015
Published Volume 51 Issue 5-6 May-June
Keywords nanomagnetic, kappa-carrageenan, beads, controlled release, antitumor drugs

Abstract
In this study, a new series of magnetic responsive beads (MRBs), as nanocarriers for effective controlled release of doxorubicin (DOX) antitumor drug, were prepared using a simple freezing-thawing method. The synthesized MRBs have a magnetic core surrounded by a shell comprising a Ca2+-crosslinked kappa-carrageenan/poly(vinyl alcohol) composite. The structural, morphological and magnetic properties of the MRBs were characterized byFourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). DOX was then successfully loaded into the MRB nanocarriers. Moreover, the in vitro release of DOX was studied at different pH values and in the presence of an external magnetic field. The release curves were well-fitted by the Korsemeyer-Peppas equation with a non-Fickian diffusion mechanism. The results indicate that the prepared novel MRBs can serve as promising platforms to the synthesis of magnetic targeted drug delivery systems.