Magnetic Nanochain-Based Smart Drug Delivery System with Remote Tunable Drug Release by a Magnetic Field

Considerable attention is given to drug delivery technology that efficiently delivers appropriate levels of drug molecules to diseased sites with significant therapeutic efficacy. Nanotechnology has been used to develop various strategies for targeted drug delivery, while controlling the release of drugs because of its many benefits. Here, a delivery system was designed to control drug release by external magnetic fields using porous silica and magnetic nanoparticles. Magnetic nanochains (MNs) of various lengths (MN-1: 1.4 ± 0.8 μm, MN-2: 2.2 ± 1.1 μm, and MN-3: 5.3 ± 2.0 μm) were synthesized by controlling the exposure time of the external magnetic force in magnetic nanoaggregates (MNCs). Mesoporous silica-coated magnetic nanochains (MSMNs) (MSMN-1, MSMN-2, and MSMN-3) were prepared by forming a porous silica layer through sol–gel polymerization. These MSMNs could load the drug doxorubicin (DOX) into the silica layer (DOX-MSMNs) and control the release behavior of the DOX through an external rotating magnetic field. Simulations and experiments were used to verify the motion and drug release behavior of the MSMNs. Furthermore, a bio-receptor (aptamer, Ap) was introduced onto the surface of the DOX-MSMNs (Ap-DOX-MSMNs) that could recognize specific cancer cells. The Ap-DOX-MSMNs demonstrated a strong therapeutic effect on cancer cells that was superior to that of the free DOX. The potent ability of these MSMNs as an external stimulus-responsive drug delivery system was proven.