Effect of bare and polymeric-modified magnetic nanoparticles on the drug ion transfer across liquid/liquid interfaces

Abstract

The electrochemical behaviour of pharmaceutical drugs, namely triflupromazine and diclofenac, was investigated at the water/1,2 dicloroethane interface modified with magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). Fe3O4 nanoparticles were obtained by co-precipitation method and coated with two different polymers, chitosan (CHI) and diethylaminoethyl dextran (DEAE-D), commonly used in medical applications. The effect of the MNP coating agents and the pH of the aqueous solution on the drug's transfer process is evaluated. The MNPs coated with CHI interact strongly with both drugs, possibly due to the spatial distribution of the amine groups in its carbonated chain. The interaction between diclofenac anion and the ammonium groups of the polymer chain is also studied by DFT calculations. The results obtained in this work contribute to understanding the type of interactions between polymers, MNPs and drugs, which take place in a polarized interface.