Cytotoxicity to cervical cancer cells of Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles coated with cholic acid

This study examined the effect of nanosized ferric oxide (Fe3O4) particles coated with different materials on the toxicity to HeLa cervical cancer cells. Magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles were prepared using a solventless thermal decomposition method and coated with either PLGA or CA-PLGA star copolymers. The uptake of nanoparticles by HeLa cells was observed by laser confocal microscopy. The toxicity to HeLa cells of Fe3O4 nanoparticles coated with these two materials was determined by the thiazole blue (MTT) method. The particle size of the single Fe3O4 nanoparticles was about 7 nm, and the PLGA and CA-PLGA nanoparticles loaded with Fe3O4 were spherical, with a particle size of about 200 mm and a theoretical drug loading of 10%. When the mass concentration of Fe3O4 nanoparticles is the same (25 pg/mL), the toxicity of Fe3O4-loaded CA-PLGA nanoparticles to HeLa cells is less than that of the corresponding PLGA nanoparticles. Thus, the CA-PLGA star copolymer can reduce the cytotoxicity of magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles and offers potential for broad application in vivo.