AUTHOR=Cui Guihua , Wang Hao , Long Shengsen , Zhang Tianshuo , Guo Xiaoyu , Chen Shuiying , Kakuchi Toyoji , Duan Qian , Zhao Donghai 

TITLE=Thermo- and Light-Responsive Polymer-Coated Magnetic Nanoparticles as Potential Drug Carriers

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/bioengineering-and-biotechnology/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2022.931830

DOI=10.3389/fbioe.2022.931830

ISSN=2296-4185

ABSTRACT=A series of thermo- and light-responsive copolymers of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and 6-[4-(4-methoxy phenyl azo)-phenoxyl-hexyl methacrylate)(AzoMA) (PNIPAM-b-PAzoMA) were synthesized via Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain Transfer (RAFT) radical polymerization. The resulting copolymers had a narrow molecular weight distribution range of 1.06~1.24, which Mn changed regularly with monomer concentration. Subsequently, the diblock copolymers were successfully modified on the surface of iron oxide nanoparticles through the interaction between the chemical bonds to prepare Fe3O4@(PNIPAM-b-PAzoMA). The sizes of fabricated nanoparticles with excellent thermo-sensitivity and photo-sensitivity  were controlled at about 40 to 50 nm. Cell viability assays suggested that these nanoparticles showed excellent biocompatibility and potential drug delivery in tumor microenvironment.