The use of magnetic targeting for drug delivery into cardiac myocytes

With the continuous technological advancements being made in the medical field every day, the ability to improve drug delivery uptake in cardiac research is a prominent topic of discussion. Nanoparticles provide the opportunity to improve the efficiency of drug therapy while minimizing chemotherapy side effects through controllably releasing the encapsulated drug at the target site. Mono-disperse Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles/polystyrene composite nanospheres with a large volume fraction of trapped magnetite and fluorophores were used in an in vivo experiment. In this study, magnetic nanoparticles were successfully delivered into the heart by utilizing magnetic targeting. Magnetic targeting allowed the mono-disperse Fe₃O₄ nanospheres to be dramatically localized in the heart myocardium. This increased the quantity of delivery to the cardiac myocytes in comparison to magnetic nanospheres without magnetic targeting.