Dendrimerized Magnetic Nanoparticles as Carriers for the Anticancer Compound, Epigallocatechin Gallate

Green tea polyphenols have attracted significant interest due to their promising therapeutic potential as antitumor agents. These include catechins that have been explored for various tumors with minimal side effects. This paper demonstrates the fabrication and characterization of dendrimerized magnetic nanoparticles, as delivery vectors for epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Glutamic acid-functionalized iron oxide nanoparticles (Glu-Fe3O4) were synthesized and modified with the polyethylene glycol polyamidoamine dendrimers of generations 3, 5, and 6. Nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometry. In aqueous colloidal suspensions, they showed a rapid temperature increase under varying magnetic fields, suggesting their potential in chemothermal therapeutic applications. The loading efficiency of the dendrimerized nanoparticles was calculated to be 32.7%, 51.1%, and 56.4% for generations 3, 5, and 6, respectively. In acidic environments, a sustained drug release profile with an increasing but incomplete release was observed. Importantly, EGCG-loaded nanoparticles induced controlled cell death in human cervical cancer cells, demonstrating a 40% reduction in cell population over 24 h at the highest concentration used, with a linear dose-response