Encapsulamento de nanopartículas magnéticas em polímeros acrílicos e avaliação de hipertermia para potencial tratamento de câncer

Abstract

This work describes the synthesis of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles encapsulated in acrylic polymers. Magnetite (Fe3O4) was obtained through coprecipitation and encapsulated by inverse and direct miniemulsion polymerization, in poly(acrylic acid) and poly(methyl methacrylate), respectively. Besides, the folic acid bioconjugation with the surface of polymeric particles obtained by inverse miniemulsion was performed and evaluated. The low coercivity and remanence of magnetic nanoparticles, as well as the superparamagnetic behavior at room temperature, favor medical applications aimed at the conceiving of this work. Measures performed with the nanoparticles under external alternating magnetic field corroborate the potential application of these materials for hyperthermia. Therefore, hybrid magnetic-polymeric particles with submicrometer size and stable in aqueous medium were successfully obtained. These particles are promising for the development of complex nanostructured systems for use in hyperthermia in cancer therapies, providing less invasive and more efficient treatments, with lower side effects and greater specificity.