Incorporation of doxorubicin and CoFe2O4 nanoparticles into the cellulose acetate phthalate / polyvinyl alcohol (core)/ polyurethane (shell) nanofibers against A549 human lung cancer during chemotherapy/hyperthermia combined method

Cellulose acetate phthalate (CAP)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/polyurethane (PU) nanofibers were synthesized by simple and coaxial electrospinning (ES) processes. Doxorubicin (DOX) and the CoFe2O4 nanoparticles were loaded into the nanofibers. The performance of the prepared nanofibers was investigated for the sustained release of DOX against A541 lung cancer cells under chemotherapy/external magnetic field (EMF) and alternating magnetic field (AMF, hyperthermia treatment) combined methods in both the in vitro and in vivo conditions. The sustained release of DOX from core-shell nanofibers containing 5 wt% cobalt ferrite was obtained within 300, 600 h, at pH of 5.5 and 7.4 without AMF and 168, 360 h, under an alternating magnetic field (AMF). More than 98.3 ± 0.2 % of A549 cancer cells were killed in the presence of core–shell nanofibers containing 100 μg DOX and 5 % cobalt ferrite nanoparticles in the presence of AMF. The flowcytometric results indicated that only 19.1 and 8.85 % cancer cells remained alive under EMF and AMF, respectively. The in vivo results revealed in stopping the growth of tumor volume and decrease in the relative tumor volume up to 0.5 were obtained using magnetic core–shell nanofibers containing 100 μg DOX and 5 % cobalt ferrite nanoparticles in the presence of EMF and AMF, respectively.