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Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs ) have been attracting a great amount of attention because of their numerous applications including contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI ) , magnetic targeted drug carriers , and hyperthermia treatments for cancer . However , complications , including aggregation of MNPs , have limited their use in drug delivery applications . To overcome these limitations , several methods have been developed to coat magnetic particles . One method includes coating them with polymers to produce polymer /MNPs for increasing the MNP dispersion and stability . This method also increases the efficiency of loading and releasing drugs to specific locations for the treatment of various diseases including prostate cancer .
The major objective of this research project was to develop polymer magnetic nanoparticles (PMNPs ) using a silane coupling agent and a novel thermo -sensitive polymer , N -isopropylacrylamide -acrylamide -allylamine (NIPA -AAm -AH ) . The temperature -sensitive polymers were chosen as a shell for the purpose of creating a controlled drug delivery system . In this system , the temperature induced by the magnetic core would be used to release therapeutic agents from the polymer shell at a specific location . The chemical and physical properties of these PMNPs were determined using Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy , nuclear magnetic resonance , x -ray photoelectron spectroscopy , and a superconducting quantum interference device . Transmission electron microscopy indicated the size of our PMNPs were about 100 nm . These nanoparticles had a better biocompatibility in comparison to the original MNPs using cytotoxicity assays (e .g . MTS assays ) . Moreover , bovine serum albumin (BSA ) and doxorubicin release profiles from the nanoparticles indicated that our PMNPs released drugs in response to changes in temperature . Finally , results from iron assays and parallel flow chamber systems , with external magnets used to assess the cellular uptake and in vitro localization of the synthesized nanoparticles , indicated that these nanoparticles would provide a means for magnet targeting capabilities . |
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