Magnetic mesoporous bioactive glass for synergetic use in bone regeneration, hyperthermia treatment, and controlled drug delivery

A combination of chemotherapy with hyperthermia can produce remarkable success in treating advanced cancers. For this purpose, magnetite (Fe₃O₄)-doped mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄-MBG NPs) were synthesized by the sol-gel method. Fe₃O₄-MBG NPs were found to possess spherical morphology with a size of approximately 50 ± 10 nm and a uniform pore size of 9 nm. The surface area (309 m²g⁻¹) was sufficient for high drug loading capacity and mitomycin C (Mc), an anticancer drug, was entrapped in the Fe₃O₄-MBG NPs. A variable rate of drug release was observed at different pH values (6.4, 7.4 & 8.4) of the release media. No significant death of normal human fibroblast (NHFB) cells was observed duringin vitroanalysis and for Mc-Fe₃O₄-MBG NPs considerable inhibitory effects on the viability of cancer cells (MG-63) were observed. When Fe₃O₄-MBG NPs were immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF), hydroxycarbonate apatite (HCA) was formed, as confirmed by XRD and FTIR spectra. A negligible value of coercivity and zero remanence confirms that Fe₃O₄-MBG NPs are superparamagnetic. Fe₃O₄-MBG NPs showed a hyperthermia effect in an alternating magnetic field (AMF), and a rise of 11.5 °C in temperature during the first 6 min, making it suitable for hyperthermia applications. Fe₃O₄-MBG NPs expressed excellent biocompatibility and low cytotoxicity, therefore, they are a safe biomaterial for bone tissue regeneration, drug delivery, and hyperthermia treatment.