MAGNETIC DRUG DELIVERY DEVICES: CHARACTERIZATION AND SWELLING STUDIES.

JIMENA GONZÁLEZ; VERA ALVAREZ; VERONICA LASSALLE

Congreso; 2º Taller de Órganos Artificiales, Biomateriales e Ingeniería de Tejidos; 2011

The magnetic gels represent a new type of composite and consist of small magnetic particles, dispersed in a highly elastic polymeric matrix. In addition due to their sensitivities to both magnetic field and temperature, thermosensitive polymer magnetic microspheres offer a high potential application in the design of a targeting drug delivery system, which is considered a safe and effective way for tissue-specific release of drugs. The aim of this work was to obtain and characterize ferrogels and magnetic nanoparticles able to respond under magnetic fields sorption or releasing a drug. For this purpose, Ferrogels were synthesized by co-precipitation of iron salt within polyvinylalcohol hydrogel matrix. The nanoparticles were obtained by co-precipitation from Fe+2/Fe+3 solution and nanoprecipitation on chitosan (CS). In order to characterize these materials: chemical, thermal, magnetic and swelling analyses were carried out. Ferrogels show dimensional stability, capability of swell in bovine serum albumin (BSA) solution and a superparamagnetic behavior (with a magnetization of saturation =3.6 emu). The nanoparticles sizes are comprised between 95 and 150 nm. The CS incorporation provides biocompatibility and functional groups able to interact with several drugs. The potential of these materials to be used as protein adsorbents was also evaluated by adsorption isotherms from a model protein, BSA. The adsorption kinetic was studied using both ferrogels and nanoparticles as supports. The preliminary results indicate that materials are very promissory regarding the possibility to be employed as drug delivery devices, biosensors or even in the purification of proteins.