Carboxymethyl cellulose/hydroxyapatite/Fe3O4 bio-nanocomposite hydrogel beads: an efficient oral pH-responsive carrier for doxorubicin delivery

In this study, an oral pH-responsive carrier, carboxymethyl cellulose/hydroxyapatite/Fe3O4 bio-nanocomposite hydrogel beads (CMC/HAp/Fe3O4), was prepared to control the release profile of anticancer doxorubicin (DOX) drug. Surface morphology of the CMC/HAp/Fe3O4 bio-nanocomposite hydrogel beads was studied using different techniques. The magnetic measurement studies revealed a good superparamagnetic behavior for the prepared bio-nanocomposite hydrogel beads with a saturation magnetization of 28.73 emu/g. The pH-responsive drug release was verified by in vitro release test and showed a lower release at acidic media (pH 1.2) and a higher release under alkaline conditions (i.e., pH 7.4 and 6.8). Besides, the MTT assay revealed that the DOX-loaded CMC/HAp/Fe3O4 has the desired cytotoxicity against SW480 cells. According to the results, the prepared bio-nanocomposite hydrogel beads have a high potential for being used as biomaterials.