Paclitaxel modified Fe₃O₄ loaded albumin nanoparticles as drug delivery vehicles by self-assembly

In this paper, the preparation of Fe₃O₄/PTX/HSA nanoparticles with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and slow release functionality by a self-assembly method is presented. Firstly, hydrophobic Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles with an average size of 10 nm are synthesized by thermal decomposition of an iron-oleate complex and then modified and stabilized by hydrophobic paclitaxel (PTX). Lastly, Fe₃O₄/PTX nanoparticles with a 3 nm PTX shell on the Fe₃O₄ surface are loaded into human serum albumin (HSA) to form uniform Fe₃O₄/PTX/HSA nanoparticles by PTX-HSA interaction after breaking the disulfide bond and unfolding hydrophobic region of HSA. The novel PTX modified Fe₃O₄/PTX nanoparticles have good dispersity in ethanol and strong binding capacity with HSA, which can be homogenously dispersed in HSA matrices to form novel Fe₃O₄/PTX/HSA nanoparticles with a pie structure by the self-assembly method. The resulting Fe₃O₄/PTX/HSA nanoparticles with a high saturation magnetization value of 10.2 emu g^-1, good T2 imaging functionality and excellent ability to cross the cell membrane have been demonstrated by magnetization curves, in vitro MRI and cellular uptake. Furthermore, the in vitro antitumor ability of the system has also been evaluated.