A straightforward strategy for making mono and bimetallic magnetic nanoparticles using hyaluronic acid/cyclodextrin bioconjugate

Multifunctional nanoparticles (NPs) originated from the combination of multiple components on a nanometer scale have attracted great interest in the nanomedicine field due to their physicochemical properties and integrated functionalities [1]. The surface functionalization of a magnetic core with a gold shell has enabled the creation of diverse nanocomposites that possess improved, complementary, and even novel properties [2-3]. Polysaccharides such as hyaluronic acid and β- cyclodextrins thanks to their biocompatibility, accessibility, and biological and technological properties are investigated as stabilizers towards metal nanoparticles [4-6]. Hence, we describe a new synthetic strategy for the preparation of hyaluronic acid β-cyclodextrin (HA-CD) conjugate and its ability to interact with iron nanoparticles (SPIONS) producing monometallic HACD@Fe3O4 NPs that were used as seed material for the subsequent growing of a gold shell. The chemical-physical properties of new hybrid nano-architectures, HACD@Fe3O4 and HACD@Fe3O4@Au NPs, have been investigated by complementary techniques including UV-vis, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), ζ-potential analyses and AC magnetization measurements.