Engineered Mn-Zn Doped Ferrite Nanomaterials: Exploring Magnetothermal Effects for Cancer Treatment

Abstract

The present work investigates the potential of Mn-Zn doped ferrites (FMZ) nanoparticles for magnetic hyperthermia, focusing on the optimization of magnetic characteristics to enhance heat generation efficiency. The co-precipitation route was used to design the engineered FMZ (MnxZn1-xFe2O4) nanomaterials with x=0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.0. Redshifts in inverse spinel diffraction patterns confirmed the doping. Functional group analysis further verified the interactions of Zn and Mn within the ferrite lattice, while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed their occupancy. The single-domain nature of the FMZ nanoparticles showed spherical particle size varying linearly from 13.6 ± 2 to 15.7 ± 3 nm with the Mn contents. Magnetic characterization through M-H curves demonstrated the superparamagnetic nature of engineered nanomaterials, and a linear relation between Mn content and magnetization was observed, with the FMZ0.75 sample exhibiting the highest magnetic saturation (MS) value of 38.90 emu/g. Specific absorption rate (SAR) values of FMZ0.75 samples at 1, 3, and 5 mg/mL were 173.24, 107.12, and 105.42 W/g, respectively. Notably, FMZ0.75 at 3 mg/mL reached the hyperthermia temperature within 5 minutes. Further, a peak function elucidated the interrelationship between particle size, MS, and SAR values, identifying an optimum particle size of 14.7 nm and an Mn fraction of 0.7. Cytocompatibility assays confirmed the suitability of FMZ samples against HEK-293 cells for the tested concentrations up to 5 mg/mL. Simulated hyperthermia studies revealed a significant reduction (35%) in the viability of the cancer cell line A549, underlining the selective efficacy of FMZ nanomaterials. With the observed effective cytocompatibility and SAR values, FMZ samples cam be effectively used for hyperthermia and related adjuvant therapy like chemotherapy of drug delivery applications.