title: One-pot facile synthesis of PEGylated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for MRI contrast enhancement.
abstract: Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (PEG·SPIONs) were prepared by a facile one-pot approach. The synthesized PEG·SPIONs were found to be uniform in size with an average hydrodynamic diameter of 11.7 nm. PEG·SPIONs exhibited excellent dispersibility in water, colloidal stability, and biocompatibility. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) properties of PEG·SPIONs were characterized both in vitro and in vivo. The dual contrast both in T1 and T2-weighted imaging was well enhanced with longitudinal and transverse relaxivity (r1, r2) of 35.92 s(-1) per mM of Fe(3+) and 206.91 s(-1) per mM of Fe(3+) respectively. In vivo T2-weighted MRI shows pronounced enhancement in the liver and spleen but not in T1-weighted MRI. Accumulations of nanoparticles were found primarily in the liver, spleen, and intestine, while much lower uptake in the kidney, heart, and lungs. A gradual excretion of PEG·SPIONs was observed via hepatobiliary (HB) processing over a period of 14 days. The toxicity of PEG·SPIONs was also evaluated in vitro and in vivo. PEG·SPIONs were found to be biocompatible by investigating organ tissues after hematoxylin-eosin staining. The conclusion of the study indicates a high potential of PEG·SPIONs in medical MRI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Nanjing 210029 Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Lingling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Nanjing 210029 Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Yongkang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Nanjing 210029 Jiangsu, China. Electronic address: zhq2001us@163.com.
authors.forename: Zhongqiu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Shanghai East Hospital, The Institute for Biomedical Engineering & Nano Science, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200120, China.
authors.forename: Fangfang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Shanghai East Hospital, The Institute for Biomedical Engineering & Nano Science, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200120, China; Materials Science and Engineering Program, Dept. of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA.
authors.forename: Donglu
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Shanghai East Hospital, The Institute for Biomedical Engineering & Nano Science, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200120, China. Electronic address: bingbozhang@tongji.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Bingbo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000633:toxicity; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D058185:Magnetite Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry*; D011859:Radiography; D013154:Spleen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D005290:Ferric Compounds; D058185:Magnetite Nanoparticles; C000499:ferric oxide; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols
keywords: Biomedical imaging; Contrast agent; Magnetic resonance imaging; Polyethylene glycol; Superparamagnetic iron oxide