Moxifloxacin-loaded Co0.9Zn0.1Fe1.975Dy0.025O4 magnetic nanoparticles coated with alginate and chitosan: Investigating drug release and antibacterial properties

Abstract

Biopolymer-coated magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) present a promising avenue for biomedical applications due to their exceptional properties. In this study, Co_0.9Zn_0.1Fe_1.975Dy_0.025O₄ ferrite nanoparticles were synthesized using the co-precipitation method and characterized. The average crystallite size of the MNPs was determined as 38.89 nm. Two distinct systems were created by coating the MNPs with alginate and chitosan, followed by loading them with moxifloxacin. Various analytical techniques confirmed the saturation magnetization values of the MNPs and coated MNPs, as well as the drug loading percentages. The hydrodynamic sizes of the coated MNPs were reported as 401.1 nm for alginate and 192.2 nm for chitosan. UV–Vis spectroscopy was used to determine the amount of moxifloxacin loaded onto the nanoparticles, revealing that the drug loading was 19.64 % for the alginate-coated MNPs and 21.85 % for the chitosan-coated MNPs. An in vitro drug release study unveiled the impact of pH and coating polymer on the release kinetics, with significantly different release rates observed between the two pH conditions. The results indicated that at pH 7.4, the percentage of drug released in 6 h was 97.89 % for the alginate-coated MNPs and 70.36 % for the chitosan-coated MNPs. Conversely, at pH 5.5, the drug release percentages were 48.6 % for the alginate-coated MNPs and 73.33 % for the chitosan-coated MNPs. Moreover, the antibacterial activity of the MNPs against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria was investigated, demonstrating the enhanced antibacterial efficacy conferred by the alginate and chitosan coatings. This comprehensive analysis underscores the potential of biopolymer-coated MNPs as effective drug delivery systems with tailored release profiles and enhanced antibacterial properties.