Synthesis and characterization of iron phosphate NPs and applications in magnetically guided drug delivery

Abstract

Microemulsion mediated synthesis has long been used to synthesize nanoparticles of controlled dimensions, with encapsulated active agents. Iron phosphate nanoparticles offer various attractive attributes for medical use. We have synthesized the iron phosphate nanoparticles (FP) using water-in-oil (reverse micelles) microemulsion system. Aqueous core of reverse micelles was used to encapsulate hydrophilic (FITC-Dextran) dye. In vitro analysis showed that these nanoparticles are non-toxic and uptaken by cells; which can be further enhanced upon magnetic guidance. These results highlight the potential for FP to be used as safe and efficient agent for optical bioimaging and magnetically guided drug delivery.