Dextran-Coated GoldMag Nanoparticles Enhance the Colloidal Stability and Controlled-Release of Doxorubicin

Dextran coated GoldMag nanoparticles (DGMNs) were synthesized, characterized and demonstrated to be effective vehicles for targeted drug delivery. Characterization of DGMNs by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy showed that their surface contained dextran whereas x-ray diffraction studies revealed that the particles were uniform with the expected crystalline structure. In thermo-gravimetric analysis studies, dextran accounted for 50% of the mass in the DGMN particles. DGMNs had an average diameter of 106 nm which can potentially prevent flocculation via steric stabilization. The blue shift of surface enhanced plasmon resonance absorption peaks observed during UV-Vis studies was indicative that DGMNs were colloidal-dispersed and uniform in size. Lastly, the dextran coating did not affect GoldMag particles' inherent property of magnetism-saturation magnetization of DGMNs was efficient and fast-acting to external magnetic field (23.5 emu/g). In vitro drug studies showed that the cancer drug doxorubicin binds effectively to DGMNs and is steadily/controllably released from the particle surface in physiological conditions when compared to their parental GoldMag particles.