# Electrosprayed Magnetic Poly(butyl methacrylate-co-(2-dimethylaminoethyl) methacrylate-co-methyl methacrylate)/Iron Oxide Microparticles for Efficient Curcumin Delivery

## TL;DR

This paper describes a new method to create microparticles that can deliver curcumin efficiently using a magnetic polymer system.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is the development of a dual-stimuli responsive microparticle system combining pH and magnetic responsiveness for controlled curcumin delivery.

## Key findings

- The microparticles significantly reduced curcumin burst release when exposed to a magnetic field.
- The Korsmeyer–Peppas model best described the curcumin release kinetics from the microparticles.
- The system allows for tunable drug delivery based on pH and magnetic stimuli.

## Abstract

This study successfully
optimized the electrospraying
process of
poly­(butyl methacrylate-co-(2-dimethylamino)­ethyl
methacrylate-co-methyl methacrylate) (P­(BMA-co-DMAEMA-co-MMA)) copolymer solutions
containing curcumin (CUR) and iron oxide (Fe3O4) for the production of microparticles serving as carrier systems.
P­(BMA-co-DMAEMA-co-MMA) is a cationic
copolymer synthesized via free radical polymerization of the monomers
N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA), methyl methacrylate
(MMA), and butyl methacrylate (BMA). By combining a pH-responsive
poly­(methacrylate) matrix with superparamagnetic Fe3O4, this work addresses current limitations of CUR delivery
systems (burst release and low drug loading). It provides a dual-stimuli
platform for controlled release. P­(BMA-co-DMAEMA-co-MMA) solutions, with or without CUR and Fe3O4, were prepared in ethanol/N,N-dimethylformamide (EtOH/DMF)
and processed via electrospraying. The copolymer concentration ranged
from 10 to 30% (w/v) in EtOH/DMF (80/20 and 20/80 (v/v) ratios), and
the presence of CUR (10, 20, and 30% (w/w)) and Fe3O4 (1–8% (w/w)). The influence of solution properties
(viscosity, electrical conductivity, and surface tension) and processing
conditions on particle morphology and drug loading was evaluated.
The electrosprayed microparticles were analyzed using scanning electron
microscopy (SEM), attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared
spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning
calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Loading a
significant amount of CUR in the microparticles was possible due to
the solubility of CUR and copolymer in the EtOH/DMF mixture. The CUR
crystallinity was significantly reduced compared to the loaded CUR.
Controlled release studies of CUR were conducted and the sample prepared
from a mixture containing 10% (w/v) of copolymer (COP), 20% (w/w)
of CUR, and 8% (w/w) of Fe3O4 (sample COP10/CUR20/Fe3O4(8)), when exposed to an external magnetic field,
significantly reduced the CUR release rate from 27.5%/h to 1.16%/h
at pH 3.8 and 6.42%/h to 0.48%/h at pH 6.8. Release kinetics analysis
indicated that the Korsmeyer–Peppas model best fitted the experimental
data. These results demonstrate that Fe3O4-containing
P­(BMA-co-DMAEMA-co-MMA) microparticles
exhibit dual pH-responsive and magnetically responsive properties,
resulting in a significant reduction of burst release and providing
spatially and temporally tunable CUR delivery.