Preparation of magnetic methotrexate nanocarrier coated with extracted hydroxyapatite of sea urchin (Echinometra mathaei)

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Rajabiyan, Ali^a | Shakiba Maram, Nader^b | Ghatrami, Ebrahim Rajabzadeh^c | Zarei Ahmady, Amanollah^{b; *}

Affiliations: [a] Marine Pharmaceutical Science Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran | [b] Nanotechnology Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran | [c] Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Marine Natural Resources, Khorramshahr University of Marine Sciences and Technology, Khorramshahr, Iran

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Amanollah Zarei Ahmady, Nanotechnology Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran. Tel.: +98 61 33115940; E-mail: zarei-a@ajums.ac.ir.; ORCID Number: 0000-0001-9315-9149

Abstract: New polymer-coated magnetic nanocarrier using magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles coated with chitosan and nanohydroxyapatite extracted from Sea urchin that both have anti-cancer properties showed good ability to Methotrexate (MTX) delivery. Iron oxide nanoparticles and hydroxyapatite prepared by co-precipitation and hydrothermal methods respectively. To stabilize the nanoparticles and optimization of the nanoparticles with hydroxyapatite, 3-chloropropyltrioethoxysilane and chitosan were performed. The water-soluble anticancer drug Methotrexate was selected as the drug model. The drug loading percentage was % 86.66, loading efficiency was % 99.5 and the polydispersity of the nanoparticles was 0.01. The kinetic pattern of drug release is consistent with the Peppas equation and the results of the thermal analysis confirm the stability of the crystalline form of the drug. The FTIR results and FE-SEM images showed that the nanoparticles were successfully prepared and coated and their size ranged from 30 nm to 1.5μm. The VSM analysis confirms the magnetic properties of the nanoparticles and the magnetic indices for the magnetic nanocarrier and the magnetic nanocarrier carrying MTX are 23 and 19 emu/g–1, respectively. The present study demonstrates the potential of iron oxide nanoparticles for the design of new magnetic nanocarrier and for guiding Methotrexate drug therapy in cancer chemotherapy.

Keywords: Sea urchin, Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles, hydroxyapatite, methotrexate, drug delivery

DOI: 10.3233/MGC-210043

Journal: Main Group Chemistry, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 447-461, 2021