Magnetic Field-Controlled Release of Paclitaxel Drug from Functionalized Magnetoelectric Nanoparticles

Using magnetoelectric nanoparticles (MENs) for targeted drug delivery and on-demand, field-controlled release can overcome the control challenges of the conventional delivery approaches. The magnetoelectric effect provides a new way to use an external magnetic field to remotely control the intrinsic electric fields that govern the binding forces between the functionalized surface of the MEN and the drug load. Here, a study is reported in which the composition of the intermediate functionalized layer is tailored to control not only the toxicity of the new nanoparticles but also the threshold magnetic field for the dissociation of the drug from 30-nm CoFe2O4-BaTiO3 core-shell MENs in a controllably wide field range, from below 10 to over 200 Oe, as required to facilitate superficial, intermediate, and deep-tissue drug delivery. Paclitaxel is used as a test drug. Specific experiments are described to maintain low toxicity levels and to achieve controllable dissociation of the drug molecules from the MENs' surface at three different subranges-low (<10 Oe), moderate (100 Oe), and high (>200 Oe)-by selecting the following 2-nm intermediate layers: i) glycerol monooleate (GMO), ii) Tween-20, and iii) ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC). Field-dependent FTIR, absorption spectra, atomic force microscopy, magnetometry analysis, zeta-potential measurements, and blood circulation experiments are used to study the described functionalization effects.