Folic acid conjugated poly (Amidoamine) dendrimer grafted magnetic chitosan as a smart drug delivery platform for doxorubicin: In-vitro drug release and cytotoxicity studies

This study reports the development of a magnetic and pH-responsive nanocarrier for targeted delivery and controlled release of doxorubicin (DOX). A multifunctional magnetic chitosan nanocomposite (FA–PAMAMG2–MCS) was fabricated by grafting poly(amidoamine) dendrimer and folic acid onto the MCS surface for active targeting. DOX was loaded into this core-shell bio-nanocomposite via adsorption. Structural and morphological characterization of the prepared nanomaterials was performed using XRD, FT-IR, VSM, TGA, BET, FE-SEM/EDX, and TEM techniques. Adsorption capacity of the FA–PAMAMG2–MCS was optimized by changing diverse parameters, such as pH, initial drug concentration, temperature, contact time, and adsorbent dosage. The maximum adsorption capacity for DOX was 102.85 mg g−1 at 298 K. The in-vitro drug release curve at pHs 5.6 and 7.4 manifested a faster drug release from the prepared nanocarrier in acidic environments and, conversely, a slower release in neutral environments over 48 h. The release kinetics followed Peppas-Sahlin models, showing non-Fickian behavior. Moreover, the in-vitro cytotoxicity studies against the human breast cancer (MDA-MB 231) cell line demonstrated the remarkable anticancer activity of the DOX@FA–PAMAMG2–MCS and declared its potency for nanomedicine applications. This multifunctional system could overcome limitations of conventional chemotherapeutic agents through pH-triggered drug release, enabling targeted cytotoxicity against cancer cells.