Booth Id:
MATS029T
Category:
Materials Science
Year:
2021
Finalist Names:
Nguyen, Minh (School: Nguyen Tat Thanh Lower and Upper Secondary School)
Vu , Minh (School: Nguyen Tat Thanh Lower and Upper Secondary School)
Abstract:
Magnetic nanoparticles are of great interest for targeted delivery and controlled
release of drugs because of their action-at-a-distance behavior with an applied
magnetic field. In our research, superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles with an
average diameter of 10 nm were successfully synthesized via a simple
coprecipitation process. The magnetic nanoparticles were then loaded with berberine
as a drug model in alginate beads as drug carriers for controlled drug release
application. Our investigation found that an on-demand drug release via on-off
operation of a static magnetic field could be achieved. It was observed that the ‘on’
cycle of the static magnetic field reduced the amount of drug released approximately
ten times in comparison with the amount of drug released during the ‘off’ cycle. We
suggested that the static magnetic field magnetized the Fe3O4 nanoparticles and
subsequently generated magnetic force which induced the nanoparticles to
aggregate instantly, leading to a rapid decrease in porosity of the alginate beads.
The drug molecules were, therefore, restrictedly confined within the beads, causing a
significant reduction in the diffusion of the drug to the surrounding environment. By
removing the static magnetic field, the magnetic nanoparticles inside the beads were
subjected to zero magnetization due to their superparamagnetic properties. Without
the magnetic force, the beads swelled and then allowed the drug molecules to
diffuse outward of the beads at a relatively higher rate. The on-off operation of a
static magnetic field exhibited an interesting approach to control the release of drugs
for better treatment efficiency and fewer side effects.