Magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) are transforming medicine by advancing hyperthermia therapies enabling precise and targeted drug delivery [1]. Their unique features, like easy customization, magnetic and temperature controlled responsiveness, and biocompatibility [2] allows them to navigate the body, reach solid tumors, and release the right drug dose exactly where and when it's needed. In practice, many MNP drug carriers are coated with biodegradable polymers that cause burst drug release and lack cell-specific interactions [3]. A key challenge on how to optimize nanoparticle surface properties to balance biocompatibility, drug circulation, and safety yet remains unsolved.
We here set out to develop magnetic composites with tuneable drug release properties for nab-PTX, a high logP chemotherapeutic drug. Our design features a magnetic core modified with lauric acid, coated with a hydrophobic PLGA (MNP@PLGA) for nab-PTX encapsulation using double emulsion polymerization. Another design includes coating with chitosan (MNP@CS), a hydrophilic outer layer, which should inhibit the burst release. Both magnetic formulations successfully entrapped nab-PTX but their release behaviours differed. The hydrophobic PLGA coating accelerated drug release under heat and magnetic stimulation, boosting the internalization, and selectively killing pancreatic cancer cells (MIAPaCa-2). The hydrophilic chitosan layer in MNPCS provided a stabilizing effect, ensuring slower, controlled drug release, reducing oxidative stress and apoptosis.
The dual hydrophilic/hydrophobic systems demonstrate the power of controlled hyperthermia-assisted drug delivery. For efficient encapsulation, cell uptake and control of drug release, the interplay between different parameters such as nanoparticle surface design and drug characteristics is key. By fine-tuning nanoparticles surface properties, we created a customizable nanomedicine solution for precise and efficient cancer therapy.