AUTHOR=Cui Guihua , Wang Hao , Long Shengsen , Zhang Tianshuo , Guo Xiaoyu , Chen Shuiying , Kakuchi Toyoji , Duan Qian , Zhao Donghai 

TITLE=Thermo- and Light-Responsive Polymer-Coated Magnetic Nanoparticles as Potential Drug Carriers

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/bioengineering-and-biotechnology/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2022.931830

DOI=10.3389/fbioe.2022.931830

ISSN=2296-4185

ABSTRACT=<p>A series of thermo- and light-responsive copolymers of poly (<italic>N</italic>-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and 6-[4-(4-methoxy phenyl azo)-phenoxyl-hexyl methacrylate) (AzoMA) (PNIPAM-b-PAzoMA) were synthesized <italic>via</italic> reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) radical polymerization. The resulting copolymers had a narrow molecular weight distribution range of 1.06–1.24, in which <italic>M</italic><sub>n</sub> changed regularly with the monomer concentration. Subsequently, the diblock copolymers were successfully modified on the surface of iron oxide nanoparticles through the interaction between the chemical bonds to prepare Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>@(PNIPAM-b-PAzoMA) nanoparticles. The size of fabricated nanoparticles with excellent thermo-sensitivity and photo-sensitivity was controlled at about 40–50 nm. Cell viability assays suggested that the nanoparticles showed no significant cytotoxicity and potential drug delivery in the tumor microenvironment.</p>