Mesoporous Magnetite Nanoclusters as Efficient Nanocarriers for Paclitaxel Delivery

This manuscript report the facile and cost‐effective fabrication of a targeted drug delivery system based on mesoporous magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoclusters. A simple one‐pot solvothermal method was followed for the synthesis of mesoporous Fe3O4 nanoclusters having average cluster size of ∼120 nm. As‐synthesized Fe3O4 nanoclusters exhibited excellent water dispersibility and superparamagnetism in conjunction with fast magnetic responsiveness. The anticancer drug, paclitaxel (PTX) was used as the model drug to investigate the applicability of as‐prepared mesoporous Fe3O4 nanoclusters for drug delivery applications. Successful loading of PTX into Fe3O4 nanoclusters was confirmed by Fourier‐transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy and drug loading capacity was estimated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). An efficient loading capacity of 17 % was achieved for PTX in the present study. The in vitro release of PTX was higher in acidic pH compared to physiological pH. As the extracellular pH of cancer cells is more acidic than that of normal cells, mesoporous Fe3O4 nanocluster‐based drug delivery vehicles can reduce the undesired release of PTX in blood circulation during the delivery process (at physiological pH) and can enhance the drug release inside the tumour cells. The results demonstrate that Fe3O4 nanoclusters developed in the present study are potential drug delivery systems Superparamagnetic mesoporous Fe3O4 nanoclusters having good colloidal stability and fast magnetic responsiveness was synthesized by a simple one‐pot solvothermal method. An efficient loading capacity of 17 % was achieved for anticancer drug, paclitaxel (PTX) using Fe3O4 nanoclusters. The in vitro release of PTX was higher in acidic pH compared to physiological Ph. Thus, as‐synthesized Fe3O4 nanocluster drug delivery vehicles can reduce the undesired release of PTX in blood circulation during the delivery process and can enhance drug release inside the tumour cells.