Magnetically controlled transdermal delivery of gemcitabine via xanthan gum-coated magnetic nanoparticles embedded in gellan gum cryogel

Chemotherapy is a commonly used treatment for breast cancer, but it often causes significant side effects due to the high drug dosage required for injection or infusion administration. Transdermal drug delivery offers a non-invasive and controlled release approach. In this work, a novel approach was developed for using gellan gum as a drug matrix and Gemcitabine loaded xanthan gum coated Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles (Gem: Xan (1%v/v)Fe₃O₄) as a drug carrier complex. The magnetization values were found to be 84.69 emu/g, 16.63 emu/g, and 9.91 emu/g for Fe₃O₄, Xan (1%v/v)Fe₃O₄, and Gem: Xan (1%v/v)Fe₃O₄, respectively. Notably, this work showcases the synthesis of Gemcitabine loaded xanthan gum coated magnetic nanoparticles as a new drug carrier complex, explores the drug release kinetics, and demonstrates the biocompatibility and non-toxicity of gellan gum on human skin, offering promising implications for transdermal drug delivery. The Gemcitabine release was 54 % without magnetic nanoparticles, and it increased to 82 % with the incorporation of magnetic nanoparticles. The Gemcitabine release – permeation of Gem: Xan (1%v/v)Fe₃O₄ was higher than that of the pristine Gemcitabine permeation by 72 %. The experimental results revealed that the magnetic field played a crucial role in controlling the drug release rate, amount, and duration during the release and release-permeation study.