Synthesis, characterization, and cytotoxicity assay of γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles coated with quercetin-loaded polyelectrolyte multilayers

• Published in: Colloid and polymer science 2022-12, Vol.300 (12), p.1327-1341
• Main Authors: Garfias, Abraham Francisco Palomec, Jardim, Katiúscia Vieira, Ruiz-Ortega, Leonardo I., Garcia, Bárbara Yasmin, Báo, Sônia Nair, Parize, Alexandre Luis, Sousa, Marcelo Henrique, Beltrán, César Márquez
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biopolymers; Cancer; Cations; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemical precipitation; Chemical synthesis; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chitosan; Complex Fluids and Microfluidics; Cytotoxicity; Drug carriers; Ferric oxide; Food Science; Iron oxides; Magnetic properties; Magnetometers; Multilayers; Nanoparticles; Nanotechnology and Microengineering; Optical properties; Original Contribution; Ovaries; Physical Chemistry; Polyallylamine hydrochloride; Polyelectrolytes; Polymer Sciences; Polystyrene resins; Reduction; Soft and Granular Matter; Toxicity
• ISSN: 0303-402X; 1435-1536
• DOI: 10.1007/s00396-022-05023-8

We evaluated the cytotoxicity effect of polyelectrolyte–quercetin (PMQ)-coated iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe 2 O 3 ) on human ovarian carcinoma cell line (A2780). The γ-Fe 2 O 3 @shell (PMQ) was obtained by synthesizing magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) by chemical co-precipitation and covering it through layer-by-layer (LbL) technique with two different systems of polyelectrolytes: (i) cationic polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH) and anionic polystyrene sulfonate (PSS) as a synthetic system, and (ii) cationic chitosan (CHI) and anionic carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) as a biopolymer (natural) system. Before using the layer-by-layer technique, quercetin with a negative charge was added to the cationic polyelectrolyte (PAH or CHI) solution, forming a positively charged complex. The nanoparticle size, morphology, and structural, optical, and magnetic properties were analyzed by DLS, TEM, XRD, FTIR, and vibrating sample magnetometer, respectively. Otherwise, the experimental results of TGA and ζ-potential suggest that the layer-by-layer technique is a feasible way to encapsulate quercetin with high efficiency: 64.7% in the PSS/PAH (synthetic polyelectrolytes) and 87.7% in the CMC/CHI (natural polyelectrolytes). The MNPs@PSS/PAH and MNPs@CMC/CHI systems showed no cytotoxicity; however, when quercetin was loaded in the system, we observed a statistically significant reduction in the viability of the human ovarian carcinoma cell line (A2780), though their cytotoxicity was less efficient compared with the high cytotoxicity showed with the quercetin alone. Our results indicated that the reduction in cell viability depends on the number of layers of polyelectrolytes. These systems can potentially be drug carriers for targeted cancer chemotherapy.