Journal of Nanomedicine & Nanotechnology

Abstract

Hemocompatibility and Biomedical Potential of Poly(Gallic Acid) Coated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Theranostic Use

Márta Szekeres, Erzsébet Illés, Christina Janko, Katalin Farkas, Ildikó Y Tóth, Dániel Nesztor, István Zupkó, Imre Földesi, Christoph Alexiou and Etelka Tombácz

Polyacid covered core-shell iron oxide nanoparticles were designed for potential use in biomedicine with special attention to theranostics - magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic hyperthermia and magnetic drug targeting. The magnetite nanoparticles coated with a gallic acid shell polymerized in situ on the nanoparticle surface (PGA@MNPs) were tested for hemocompatibility in blood, sedimentation rate, blood smear and blood cell viability experiments and for antioxidant capacity in Jurkat cells in the presence of H₂O₂ as reactive oxygen species. No signs of interaction of the nanoparticles with whole blood cells were found. In addition, the PGA@MNPs reduced significantly the oxidative stress mediated by H₂O₂ supporting earlier findings of MTT tests, namely, the improvement of cell viability in their presence. The in vitro tests revealed that PGA@MNPs are not only biocompatible but also bioactive. Preliminary experiments revealed that the nanoparticles are especially efficient MRI and magnetic hyperthermia agents. The r² relaxivity was found to be one of the highest among published values (387 mM^-1s^-1) and they possess a relatively significant specific absorption rate (SAR) value of 11 W/g magnetite.