Quercetin Delivery with a Nanocarrier Based on Fe۲O۳/Chitosan/Montmorillonite

Harmful side effects of the chemotherapeutic agent have been investigated in many recent studies. Since Fe۲O۳ nanoparticles have proper porosity, they are capable for loading noticeable amount of drug and controlled releasing. We developed Fe۲O۳/Chitosan/Montmorillonite nanocomposite. Quercetin (QC) nanoparticles, which have less side effects than chemical anti-tumor drugs, were encapsulated in the synthesized nanocarrier and were characterized by Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). For quercetin, the encapsulation efficiency and the loading efficiency of the drug in Fe۲O۳- CS-MMT@QC were found to be about ۹۴% and ۵۷%, respectively. The release profile of QC in different mediums indicated pH-dependency and controlled release of the nanocomposite, adhering to The Weibull kinetic model. Biocompatibility of the Fe۲O۳/CS/MMT nanoparticles against the MCF-۷ cells was shown by MTT assay. These data demonstrate that the designed Fe۲O۳-CS-MMT@QC would have potentialdrug delivery to treat cancer cells.

Keywords:

Chitosan , Montmorillonite , Nanocarriers , Drug delivery , Breast cancer