Magnetically-controlled, pulsatile drug release from poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) particles with hollow interiors

This paper describes a new system for magnetically-controlled release of drugs. The system consists of a poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) particle with a hollow interior, accompanied by a shell containing magnetic nanoparticles. When exposed to an external AC magnetic field, the interior void will be shrunk to pump out the pre-loaded drug molecules. The amount of molecules released at each pumping event can be adjusted by the strength of applied field. This magnetic response leads to the efficient intranuclear release of Doxorubicin (DOX) from the hollow particles, achieving the significant enhancement of anticancer activity in combination with the hyperthermia effect given by the magnetic nanoparticles.