ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Carboxymethyl cellulose/hydroxyapatite/Fe₃O₄ bio-nanocomposite hydrogel beads: an efficient oral pH-responsive carrier for doxorubicin delivery

Rauf Foroutan, Ali Mohammadzadeh, Reza Mohammadi, and Siamak Javanbakht

Polymer Research Laboratory, Department of Organic and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran

E-mail: r.mohammadi@tabrizu.ac.ir

Received: 17 September 2024  Accepted: 7 February 2025

Abstract:

In this study, an oral pH-responsive carrier, carboxymethyl cellulose/hydroxyapatite/Fe₃O₄ bio-nanocomposite hydrogel beads (CMC/HAp/Fe₃O₄), was prepared to control the release profile of anticancer doxorubicin (DOX) drug. Surface morphology of the CMC/HAp/Fe₃O₄ bio-nanocomposite hydrogel beads was studied using different techniques. The magnetic measurement studies revealed a good superparamagnetic behavior for the prepared bio-nanocomposite hydrogel beads with a saturation magnetization of 28.73 emu/g. The pH-responsive drug release was verified by in vitro release test and showed a lower release at acidic media (pH 1.2) and a higher release under alkaline conditions (i.e., pH 7.4 and 6.8). Besides, the MTT assay revealed that the DOX-loaded CMC/HAp/Fe₃O₄ has the desired cytotoxicity against SW480 cells. According to the results, the prepared bio-nanocomposite hydrogel beads have a high potential for being used as biomaterials.

Keywords: Bio-nanocomposite hydrogel; Carboxymethyl cellulose; Doxorubicin; Hydroxyapatite; Oral delivery

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-025-03944-6

Chemical Papers 79 (4) 2461–2470 (2025)