Synthesis and characterization of bio-nanocomposite hydrogel beads based on magnetic hydroxyapatite and chitosan: a pH-sensitive drug delivery system for potential implantable anticancer platform

Magnetic bio-nanocomposite hydrogels are a promising platform for tissue engineering and drug delivery applications. This research presents the synthesis and characterization of novel magnetic bio-nanocomposite hydrogel beads based on magnetic hydroxyapatite nanoparticles and chitosan for potential pH-sensitive drug delivery. The successful synthesis was confirmed through various analysis methods. The prepared bio-nanocomposites hydrogel beads exhibited pH-sensitive swelling behavior. Furthermore, the bio-nanocomposites demonstrated a high loading capacity for doxorubicin (DOX) anticancer drug and a pH-sensitive drug release profile, with approximately 80% release rate at pH 5 and less than 10% release rate at pH 7.4. The Weibull kinetic model was the best-fitting function for DOX release from bio-nanocomposite hydrogels at pH 5. The cytotoxicity of DOX-loaded bio-nanocomposite hydrogels against HeLa cells was evaluated, which showed high cytotoxicity after incubation for 48 h at a concentration of 2.5 mg/mL. These findings suggest that the prepared magnetic bio-nanocomposite hydrogel beads have good potential for implantable pH-sensitive drug delivery in the treatment of cancerous tissue.