APTES modified magnetite nanoparticles as a theranostic nanocarrier: a study of loading and sustained release of daunorubicin

Abstract

In recent decades, iron oxide nanoparticles have been recognized as effective magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents and efficient nanocarriers in various drug delivery systems. In this study, APTES-modified iron oxide nanoparticles (APTES@MNPs) were synthesized using a co-precipitation method. This was followed by the implementation of a modified refluxometric method to investigate the loading and sustained release of the chemotherapeutic drug, daunorubicin. Additionally, the T2 contrasting ability was examined to elucidate the theranostic properties of drug-loaded nanoparticles. The fabricated nanoparticles were characterized using DLS, FTIR, PXRD, FESEM, TEM, XPS, VSM, TGA, and Raman spectroscopy techniques. The nanoparticles exhibited a high T2 contrast behavior with r2/r1 = 16.5. The kinetic study of drug loading showed that the adsorption model followed pseudo-second-order kinetics with a pseudo-second-order rate constant (k2) of 0.00134 mg g−1 min−1 at pH ∼ 10. The drug release study showed a result of 72% desorption at pH ∼ 5.2, whereas at pH ∼ 7.4, it was only 12.6%. In addition, adsorption experiments were performed at pH ∼ 10. Furthermore, the adsorption of daunorubicin onto the nanoparticles was supported by computational results. Overall, APTES@MNPs acted as a potent and biocompatible sustained-release drug carrier with good diagnostic properties for anticancer theranostic applications.

Graphical abstract: APTES modified magnetite nanoparticles as a theranostic nanocarrier: a study of loading and sustained release of daunorubicin

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
20 May 2025
Accepted
04 Aug 2025
First published
27 Aug 2025
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Mater. Adv., 2025, Advance Article

APTES modified magnetite nanoparticles as a theranostic nanocarrier: a study of loading and sustained release of daunorubicin

V. Saha, P. Cheah, R. Saha, Y. Zhao and G. Biswas, Mater. Adv., 2025, Advance Article , DOI: 10.1039/D5MA00514K

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