Abstract

Magnetic drug carriers are aimed at transporting the loaded drugs to the target site with the application of an external field. To realize this, a clever design of magnetic nanoparticles and their surface modification have to be achieved. Herein, we report the synthesis of ErFeO3 nanoparticles and their magnetic characteristics. In addition, we report a beta-cyclodextrin-polyethylene glycol-folate conjugate and utilize it for coating the magnetic nanoparticles. The crystallinity and grain size of the nanoparticles are characterized using X-ray diffraction. The elemental composition of the nanoparticles and their orbital states are determined using XPS spectroscopy. The polymer-coated nanoparticles are soft ferromagnetic. The anticancer drug, camptothecin, is loaded on the polymer-coated nanoparticles with a loading percentage of about 88%. The efficacy of camptothecin gets enhanced when loaded on the magnetic nanocarrier and released in a sustained manner. Compared to the free form, the drug loaded on the nanocarrier shows an enhanced anticancer activity. [GRAPHICS] .