Liver and Brain Imaging Through Dimercaptosuccinic Acid-Coated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles

Abstract

Background & aim: Uptake, cytotoxicity and interaction of improved superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles were studied in cells, tissues and organs after single and multiple exposures. Material & method: We prepared dimercaptosuccinic acid-coated iron oxide nanoparticles by thermal decomposition in organic medium, resulting in aqueous suspensions with a small hydrodynamic size (< 100 nm), high saturation magnetization and susceptibility, high nuclear magnetic resonance contrast and low cytotoxicity. Results:In vitro and in vivo behavior showed that these nanoparticles are efficient carriers for drug delivery to the liver and brain that can be combined with MRI detection.

Keywords::

• blood–brain barrier disruption
• brain imaging
• magnetic nanoparticles
• NMR contrast agent
• NMR imaging
• USPIO iron oxide

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Raquel Mejías receives a predoctoral fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) FPU program. Sonia Pérez-Yagüe holds a contract supported by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC; Intramural Grant 200820I084 to Domingo F Barber). This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (NAN2004–08805-C01–04 to Carlos J Serna, MAT2008–01489 to Sabino Veintemillas-Verdaguer, CSD2007–00010 to Mª Puerto Morales, SAF2008–05512 to Jesús Ruiz-Cabello, MAT2006–03999, MAT2009–08667 and CSD2006–00012 to Xavier Batlle, and SAF2008–00471 to Domingo F Barber), the Madrid (S-0505/MAT/0194 to Mª Puerto Morales and CCG08-CSIC/SAL-3451 to Domingo F Barber) and Cataluña regional governments (2009SGR856 to Amilcar Labarta), the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (RETICS Program, RD08/0075 (RIER) to Domingo F Barber) and the European Union (LSHB-CT-2006–037639 to Sabino Veintemillas-Verdaguer). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained appropriate institutional review board approval or have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human or animal experimental investigations. In addition, for investigations involving human subjects, informed consent has been obtained from the participants involved.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank F Wandosell for advice in the interpretation of rat brain images, the SQUID Magnetometry Facility of the University of Barcelona for magnetic measurements and C Mark for editorial assistance.

Additional information

Funding

Raquel Mejías receives a predoctoral fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) FPU program. Sonia Pérez-Yagüe holds a contract supported by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC; Intramural Grant 200820I084 to Domingo F Barber). This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (NAN2004–08805-C01–04 to Carlos J Serna, MAT2008–01489 to Sabino Veintemillas-Verdaguer, CSD2007–00010 to Mª Puerto Morales, SAF2008–05512 to Jesús Ruiz-Cabello, MAT2006–03999, MAT2009–08667 and CSD2006–00012 to Xavier Batlle, and SAF2008–00471 to Domingo F Barber), the Madrid (S-0505/MAT/0194 to Mª Puerto Morales and CCG08-CSIC/SAL-3451 to Domingo F Barber) and Cataluña regional governments (2009SGR856 to Amilcar Labarta), the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (RETICS Program, RD08/0075 (RIER) to Domingo F Barber) and the European Union (LSHB-CT-2006–037639 to Sabino Veintemillas-Verdaguer). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.