Immobilized transferrin Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticle with high doxorubicin loading for dual-targeted tumor drug delivery

Transferrin (Tf) was immobilized onto Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles with high doxorubicin (DOX) loading (TfDMP), for dual targeting of cancer, by chemically coupling both Tf and DOX with dual-function magnetic nanoparticles (DMPs) using a multi-armed crosslinker, poly-L-glutamic acid. With high trapping efficiency for magnetic targeting, TfDMP exhibits a Tf receptor-targeting function. Moreover, the DOX loading percentage of TfDMP is high, and can be controlled by adjusting the reactant ratio. TfDMP presents a narrow size distribution, and is sensitive to pH for drug release. Compared with DOX-coupled DMP without Tf modification (DDMP), TfDMP exhibits enhanced uptake by Tf receptor-expressing tumor cells, and displays stronger cancer cell cytotoxicity. This study provides an efficient method for the dual-targeted delivery of therapeutic agents to tumors, with controlled low carrier toxicity and high efficiency.