Mitomycin loaded self-assembled colloidal prodrug nanoparticles for magnetic drug targeting

In this work, we developed a stable and targeted polymeric drug delivery system (DDs) with good magnetic response that can form self-assembled nanoparticles and encapsulate therapeutic agents with hydroxyl and/or amino functional groups. A multifunctional drug (Mitomycin C, MMC) with anticancer and antibacterial properties was used as a model drug for encapsulation. Both the drug and the magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs, pre-pared by the coprecipitation method) were linked to the succinated polyvinyl-alcohol polymer (PVA-SA) in a single step reaction. The success of the conjugation reactions was confirmed by FTIR and XRD analyses. The MMC release experiments exhibited a rapid release profile for the free drug (k = 2.01 h-n) but a prolonged release profile (k = 47.97 h-n) for the conjugated drug. The magnetic response of the produced NPs was tested by exposing them to an external magnet. The results showed that the use of MNPs for precise targeting and PVA-SA for controlling the release rate can promote developing targeted DDs and can be useful to reduce unwanted side effects.