Polyetherimide- and folic acid-modified Fe₃ O₄ nanospheres for enhanced magnetic hyperthermia performance

Recent studies have highlighted the development prospects of magnetic hyperthermia in cancer therapy. A few studies on the application of Fe₃ O₄ nanospheres for the magnetic hyperthermia of gynecological malignancies have achieved certain efficacy, but there was no visible progress currently. In this work, Fe₃ O₄ nanospheres modified with polyetherimide (PEI) and folic acid (FA) were synthesized using a hydrothermal method for possible utility in biocompatible and active tumor-targeting magnetic induction hyperthermia. The PEI- and FA-coated Fe₃ O₄ nanospheres showed high crystallinity, well-dispersed spherical structures and ideal M_s value. As a result, the designed Fe₃ O₄ @ PEI@FA nanospheres achieved higher specific absorption rate (SAR) values at 360 kHz and 308 Oe, as well as excellent biocompatibility in Hela, SKOV3, HEC-1-A and NIH3T3 cells. These nanospheres can be used as an optimal heating agent for the magnetic hyperthermia treatment of gynecological cancers.