pH-responsive magnetic CuFe2O4-PMAA nanogel conjugated with amino-modified lignin for controlled breast cancer drug delivery
Nadia Fattahi, Faranak Aghaz, Aram Rezaei, Ali Ramazani, Abolfazl Heydari, Seyedmohammad Hosseininezhad, Won‐Kyo Jung
Abstract
In this study, a novel magnetic and pH-responsive nanocarrier was developed, incorporating both natural and synthetic polymers, for delivering curcumin (CUR) to breast cancer cells. For this purpose, CuFe 2 O 4 @poly(methacrylic acid) (CuFe 2 O 4 @PMAA) nanogel was developed and conjugated with amino-modified lignin (Lignin-adipic acid dihydrazide conjugate, Lig-ADH) to achieve the CuFe 2 O 4 @PMAA@Lig-ADH nanocarrier. The morphology, structure, and physical properties of the synthesized nanomaterials were examined using a range of techniques, including transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The synthesized nanocarrier exhibited a spherical shape, with an average diameter of approximately 15 nm, and demonstrated good magnetic responsiveness. Moreover, the in vitro drug release was found to be pH-dependent, with an increased release rate in acidic conditions. To evaluate cytotoxicity, the survival of MCF-7 cells was measured using the MTT assay for 24 h. Notably, the synthesized CuFe 2 O 4 @PMAA@Lig-ADH@CUR and CUR exhibited significant cytotoxic effects, effectively eliminating MCF-7 cells with IC 50 values of 39.80 µg/mL and 4.27 µg/mL, respectively. Also, the significant intracellular uptake of NPs was confirmed by FITC and DAPI staining after 4 h. This research highlighted the potential of CuFe 2 O 4 @PMAA@Lig-ADH@CUR as a highly effective nano-delivery system and demonstrated a straightforward method for utilizing renewable lignin.