Polyetherimide‐ and folic acid‐modified Fe₃O₄ nanospheres for enhanced magnetic hyperthermia performance

Abstract Recent studies have highlighted the development prospects of magnetic hyperthermia in cancer therapy. A few studies on the application of Fe 3 O 4 nanospheres for the magnetic hyperthermia of gynecological malignancies have achieved certain efficacy, but there was no visible progress currently. In this work, Fe 3 O 4 nanospheres modified with polyetherimide (PEI) and folic acid (FA) were synthesized using a hydrothermal method for possible utility in biocompatible and active tumor‐targeting magnetic induction hyperthermia. The PEI‐ and FA‐coated Fe 3 O 4 nanospheres showed high crystallinity, well‐dispersed spherical structures and ideal M s value. As a result, the designed Fe 3 O 4 @ PEI@FA nanospheres achieved higher specific absorption rate (SAR) values at 360 kHz and 308 Oe, as well as excellent biocompatibility in Hela, SKOV3, HEC‐1‐A and NIH3T3 cells. These nanospheres can be used as an optimal heating agent for the magnetic hyperthermia treatment of gynecological cancers.