Designing Magnetic Nanoparticles with Polydopamine and Folic Acid for the Capture of Strategic Metals and Drug Delivery
摘要
Superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles were specifically designed with a polydopamine (PDA) and folic acid (FA) coating to enhance the availability of organic functional groups at the surface, facilitating the interactions with transition metal ions and drugs. Such nanoparticles were here denoted Fe3O4@PDA-FA. Their synthesis and characterization were carefully performed, including thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential measurements, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The capture of cobalt(II), copper(II), and zinc(II) ions was successfully demonstrated, revealing the great potential of the Fe3O4@PDA-FA nanoparticles in magnetic nanohydrometallurgy (MNHM). The Fe3O4@PDA-FA nanoparticles also exhibited good performance in the capture and magnetic transport of buparvaquone, a drug with pharmacological activity against leishmaniasis, as well as antitumor action. The observed drug capture response exhibited a pronounced enhancement in the presence of cobalt(II) ions, which seems to play a role in mediating the interaction between the target molecule and the PDA-FA coating.
Graphical abstract