Development of multifunctional cobalt ferrite/hydroxyapatite nanocomposites by microwave assisted wet precipitation method: A promising platform for synergistic chemo-hyperthermia therapy

Abstract Functional nanocomposites capable of multimodal therapy hold great potential to improve the efficiency of cancer therapy. Herein, we report a magnetic nanocomposite of cobalt ferrite/hydroxyapatite followed by loading a chemotherapeutic drug (5-fluorouracil, FU) to construct the intelligent drug delivery system and/or hyperthermia carrier. To do that, cobalt ferrite/hydroxyapatite nanocomposite was successfully synthesized by microwave assisted wet precipitation method, subsequently, FU loaded onto the formed composites through adsorption method. This nanocomposite exhibits ferromagnetic behaviour with a magnetic saturation value of approximately 2.5–8.2 emu/g. Upon alternating magnetic field, it could generate hyperthermia temperature within a short time (43°C in 4.5 min) and facilitate the release of encapsulated FU from the composite with enhanced release rate. These multifunctional carriers also demonstrate a noticeable proliferative activity against healthy fibroblast cells (L929) and suppressed growth against osteosarcoma cells (MG63). Therefore, this studied nanoplatform might be a promising candidate for synergistic chemo-hyperthermia therapy.