Surface-modified superparamagnetic nanoparticles for drug delivery: preparation, characterization, and cytotoxicity studies.
Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles have been used for many years as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents or in drug delivery applications. In this study, a novel approach to prepare magnetic polymeric nanoparticles with magnetic core and polymeric shell using inverse microemulsion polymerization process is reported. Poly(ethyleneglycol) (PEG)-modified superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles with specific shape and size have been prepared inside the aqueous cores of AOT/n-Hexane reverse micelles and characterized by various physicochemical means such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), infrared spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), and ultraviolet/visible spectroscopy. The inverse microemulsion polymerization of a polymerizable derivative of PEG and a cross-linking agent resulted in a stable hydrophilic polymeric shell of the nanoparticles. The results taken together from TEM and AFM studies showed that the particles are spherical in shape with core-shell structure. The average size of the PEG-modified nanoparticles was found to be around 40-50 nm with narrow size distribution. The magnetic measurement studies revealed the superparamagnetic behavior of the nanoparticles with saturation magnetization values between 45-50 electromagnetic units per gram. The cytotoxicity profile of the nanoparticles on human dermal fibroblasts as measured by standard 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay showed that the particles are nontoxic and may be useful for various in vivo and in vitro biomedical applications.
Gupta
Ajay Kumar
AK
Centre for Cell Engineering, Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK. akgupta25@hotmail.com
Wells
Stephen
S
D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D004355:Drug Stability; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008280:Magnetics; D008823:Micelles; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010316:Particle Size; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry*; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry*
D005290:Ferric Compounds; D008823:Micelles; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; C000499:ferric oxide; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols