Application of iron oxide nanoparticles in leukaemia treatment in low and middle income countries: proof of concept

Leukaemia continues to pose a major global health challenge, with increasing incidence and particularly poor survival outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Sub-Saharan Africa carries a disproportionate share of this burden, where the disease adversely affects population health, workforce productivity, and economic development. While high-income countries report comparatively better treatment outcomes, survival rates in LMICs remain alarmingly low. These disparities underscore the need for innovative, cost-effective, and locally adaptable treatment approaches. This study investigated a proof-of-concept targeted drug delivery platform based on silica-coated iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) for potential application in resource-constrained settings. IONPs were produced using chemical synthesis techniques and characteri s ed for their structural integrity and particle size using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). To enhance biocompatibility and facilitate drug loading, the nanoparticles were coated with silica and electrostatically conjugated with doxorubicin (DOX), forming DOX-silica-coated IONPs. Drug loading capacity and release behaviour were assessed using UV-Visible spectroscopy and high-resolution TEM. The synthesised nanoparticles exhibited a mean hydrodynamic diameter of 157.8 nm and an average core diameter of approximately 15 nm by TEM. Following silica coating, the hydrodynamic diameter increased to 197.3 nm, while DOX loading further increased the particle size to approximately 317 nm, confirming successful nanoparticle functionalisation. Therapeutic efficacy was evaluated using CCK-8 cell viability assays on HL60 human promyelocytic leukaemia cells. The developed nanoparticles demonstrated successful magnetic responsiveness, uniform morphology, and effective DOX loading. DOX-loaded silica-coated IONPs exhibited significantly greater cytotoxicity than free DOX. At a DOX concentration of 0.3 µM, nanoparticle-mediated delivery reduced HL60 cell viability to approximately 5%, compared with 39% following treatment with free DOX, while unloaded IONPs exhibited relatively low cytotoxicity. This study demonstrates the feasibility of developing silica-coated DOX-loaded IONPs as a targeted drug delivery platform for leukaemia treatment. Although the findings provide encouraging in vitro proof-of-concept evidence, additional physicochemical characterisation, mechanistic investigations, safety evaluation and in vivo validation are required before clinical translation. Nevertheless, the relatively simple synthesis strategy and encouraging therapeutic performance suggest that this platform warrants further investigation as a potentially scalable nanomedicine approach for LMICs.