Loading of anticancer drug anastrozole using Fe3O4@SiO2

Anastrozole is a prescription drug that is used to treat hormone-dependent breast cancer, mostly in women who have gone through menopause. Once a day, it is taken by mouth. Anastrozole stops the activity of an enzyme called aromatase, which changes androgens into oestrogens. But taking the drug often comes with side effects that depend on how much you take, such as tiredness, diarrhea, hot flashes, nausea, headaches, muscle and joint pain, and so on. Anastrozole has also been linked to other side effects and more bone loss. To overcome the side effects of anastrozole and for their efficient delivery anastrozole must be loaded on the surfaces which is biocompatible and stable towards human body. So, the co-precipitation method was used to make iron oxide nanoparticles, which were then covered with silica using the Stober method. The made Fe3O4@SiO2 nanocomposite was taken out as a black powder and studied using FTIR, EDX, and SEM. The SEM picture showed that the Fe3O4 and Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles size ranges were between 30 and 45 nm and 55 to 70 nm respectively. We also looked at how contact time, pH, and the amount of nanocomposite affected the loading of the drug. The best adsorption (85.6%) happened when the reaction lasted 12 h, the pH was 4, and the adsorbent dose was 10 mg.