Magnetic nanoparticles grafted pH-responsive poly (methacrylic acid-co-acrylic acid)-grafted polyvinylpyrrolidone as a nano-carrier for oral controlled delivery of atorvastatin

Objective(s): Researchers have intended to reformulate drugs so that they may be more safely used in human body. Polymer science and nanotechnology have great roles in this field. The aim of this paper is to introduce an efficient drug delivery vehicle which can perform both targeted and controlled antibiotic release using magnetic nanoparticles grafted pH-responsive polymer.  Methods: Fe3O4 nanoparticles were prepared via a simple co-precipitation method and coated with APTS. Then, it was used as a core in synthesis of a core-shell pH-responsive polymer. After that, atorvastatin was loaded into the carrier and its release rate, kinetic and mechanism were investigated.   Results: The results revealed that cumulative release of the drug from nano carrier was 78% at pH 1.2 while in pH 5.5 and 7.2, the drug release was only about 5 and 31% respectively. Effect of different parameters on the atorvastatin release such as amounts of MAA monomer, EGDMA as cross-linker, AIBN as initiator, and MNPs were also studied. Furthermore, release kinetics and mechanism investigation along with the swelling behavior studies of plain polymer reveal Fickian pattern and diffusion controlled mechanism. Conclusions: The results indicate that the prepared nano-carrier can be serving as a suitable candidate for controlled delivery of the drugs.