Inulin-based polymer coated SPIONs as potential drug delivery systems for targeted cancer therapy

This paper deal with the synthesis and characterization of PEGylated squalene-grafted-inulin amphiphile capable of self-assembling and self-organizing into nanocarriers once placed in aqueous media. It was exploited as coating agent for obtaining doxorubicin loaded superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) endowed with stealth like behavior and excellent physicochemical stability. Inulin was firstly modified in the side chain with primary amine groups, followed in turn by conjugation with squalenoyl derivatives through common amidic coupling agents and PEGylation by imine linkage. Polymer coated SPIONs were so obtained by spontaneous self-assembling of inulin copolymer onto magnetite surface involving hydrophobic-hydrophobic interactions between the metallic core and the squalene moieties. The system was characterized in terms of hydrodynamic radius, zeta potential, shape and drug loading capacity.