Sonosynthesis and characterization of a fluorescent Trojan Horse based on magnetic nanoparticles

In this work, the sonosynthesis of a fluorescent nanocarrier based on iron oxide nanoparticles (mainly magnetite) conjugated with cisplatin, ethylene glycol (EG) and folic acid (FA) is presented. A spectroscopic study on the formation of a complex Fe(II)–FA was performed with the aim of evaluating how the adsorption of FA onto the magnetite takes place. The magnetite ferrofluids were characterized by Raman microspectroscopy, Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–Vis spectroscopy (absorbance and fluorescence), X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The structural analysis shows that Pt is part of the crystal structure of the system together with magnetite. The study also demonstrates that the cisplatin–folate interaction results in a less stable ferrofluid than that obtained in the absence of Pt. However, unlike the latter, the former shows fluorescence. Graphic abstract Magnetic and fluorescent Trojan Horse containing platinum