Folic acid conjugated magnetic chitosan nanocomposite for the targeted delivery of dual anticancer drugs to breast cancer and hyperthermia therapy.

Increase in breast cancer has led to the search for systems that can enable, targeted, sustained and prolonged release of drugs while simultaneously reducing the side effects posed by them. In light of this, folic acid-conjugated 5-Fluorouracil and doxorubicin loaded chitosan/Fe₃O₄ (FA-dual@CS/Fe₃O₄) nanocomposite has been synthesized using the chemical method for targeted breast cancer therapy in addition to CS/Fe3O4 and dual drug encapsulated CS/Fe3O4. FTIR and XPS studies confirm the successful drug encapsulation and FA conjugation. VSM analysis demonstrates the superparamagnetic behavior with reduced coercivity, while the SAR values increased from 8.5 W/g (CS/Fe₃O₄) to 33.9 W/g (FA-dual@CS/Fe₃O₄), indicating enhanced hyperthermia potential. Fluorescence studies show dox encapsulation with emission at 520 nm and quenching due to FRET and charge transfer. The obtained release profiles indicate the sustained and prolonged release of the drugs from the synthesized system while cytotoxicity assays on MCF-7 cells reveal the enhanced anticancer efficacy with an IC₅₀ of 101 μg/ml for FA-dual@CS/Fe₃O₄. ROS analysis indicates a 12-fold increase in oxidative stress. Cell uptake studies confirm 1.2 times greater fluorescence for FA-dual@CS/Fe₃O₄, validating folate receptor-mediated endocytosis. These results demonstrate the potential of FA-dual@CS/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposites for targeted drug delivery and magnetic hyperthermia in breast cancer treatment.