• Graphene oxide/Chitosan/Iron oxide Magnetic Microspheres as Potential Vehicles for Targeted Temozolomide Delivery in Glioblastoma Cells
  • Ghazal khajouei,1 Mahnaz Amiri,2,* Sanaz Abolghasemi,3
    1. Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
    2. Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Science, Kerman, Iran
    3. Department of microbiology, faculty of science, Kerman branch, Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran


  • Introduction: The use of cancer chemotherapy drugs often leads to a surplus of severe side effects because they also target healthy cells. This underscores the need for advancements in delivery platforms that can selectively release desired drugs near these highly active cells.
  • Methods: In this context, a magnetic nanocomposite has been produced using a conventional co-precipitation method. Fe3O4 (IO) NPs were synthesized in the presence of Salvia officinalis extract via the green synthesis method. The (graphene oxide) GO NPs were prepared using the Staudenmaier method, and synthesized materials were characterized. Chitosan (CS) was used for the preparation of microspheres. GO/CS/IO nanocomposites were investigated as prospective vehicles for controlled drug delivery in the presence and absence of an external magnetic field.
  • Results: For biomedical applications, this research provided a novel graphene oxide/chitosan/iron oxide nanocomposite microspheres that has not been studied until now. Moreover, the release behavior of the temozolomide-loaded GO/CS/IO nanocomposite is investigated in the absence and presence of magnetic field conditions. Synthetic microspheres adaptable microsphers have the potential to control the release of the temozolomide when an alternating magnetic field is applied. The temozolomide release rate was also enhanced by the magnetic field. The MTT assay results indicated that the synthesized nanocomposite is suitable for anti-cancer biomedical applications.
  • Conclusion: This research introduces a strategy for controlled drug delivery that drugs, like Tmz, would be released at a specific target by applying suitably localized magnetic fields. It also exhibits superior magnetic performance, indicating the designed drug carrier's excellent targeted delivery capability. The release of the loaded medicine can be considerably improved by the magnetic response of drug carriers with different magnetic frequencies and intensities. An additional benefit is that a low-frequency AFM may be used to carry out the controlled drug release procedure, which promotes energy efficiency and protection of the environment.
  • Keywords: Magnetic nanoparticles, Graphene oxide, Chitosan, Temozolomide, Controlled drug delivery