Synthesis and Drug Delivery Property of the Magnetic Fe3O4@Silica Nanotubes

Abstract

In this study, Fe 3 O 4 @silica nanotubes (Fe 3 O 4 @SiNTs) were synthesized through a co-axial electrospinning of a shell-liquid consisting of tetraethoxysilane, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, ethanol and hydrogen chloride and Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles (NPs) and a core-liquid of paraffin. Their microstructure and drug delivery property were evaluated. SEM observations showed that Fe 3 O 4 @SiNTs had the tubular hollow structure. The presence of magnetic component caused a magnetic separability of Fe 3 O 4 @SiNTs. After soaked in the solution of tetracycline hydrochloride (TH, one of the representative antibiotics), Fe 3 O 4 @SiNTs supported the adsorption of TH with the loading efficiency of 64±5% to produce TH-loaded Fe 3 O 4 @SiNTs. TH-loaded Fe 3 O 4 @SiNTs presented a sustained release behavior for TH after soaked in the phosphate buffer saline. After incubation with Escherichia coli (E. coli, one of the most widely used bacteria), TH-loaded Fe 3 O 4 @SiNTs exhibited strong anti-bacterial property to inhibit the growth of E. coli, indicating that the released TH was biologically active.