β-Cyclodextrin and Its Derivatives Functionalized Magnetic Nanoparticles for Targeting Delivery of Curcumin and Cell Imaging

β -Cyclodextrin ( β -CD) and its derivatives functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with high saturated magnetism were fabricated successfully by an effective grafting method. The resultant carboxymethyl/hydroxypropyl/sulfobutyl ether- β -CD-MNPs (CM/HP/SBE- β -CD-MNPs) nanocomposites were characterized by the TEM, FTIR, DLS, Zeta potential, XRD and VSM. In addition, the loading and release performance of the as-prepared nanocarriers for the hydrophobic anti-cancer drug curcumin was also investigated. The results revealed that the SBE- β -CD-MNPs possessed the highest loading and release capacity in comparison with other two nanosystems. Cellular uptake and imaging suggested that the SBE- β -CD-MNPs entered into the cell, and curcumin could be successfully delivered into the cell by SBE- β -CD-MNPs nanocarrier. Moreover, cell toxicity experiments demonstrated the SBE- β -CD-MNPs were non-toxic, while curcumin loaded SBE- β -CD-MNPs showed high potential to kill the HepG2 cells. The as-prepared magnetic composites were expected to expand their potential applications in biomedical field.