Dextrin-coated zinc substituted cobalt-ferrite nanoparticles as an MRI contrast agent: In vitro and in vivo imaging studies

N Sattarahmady; T Zare; A R Mehdizadeh; N Azarpira; M Heidari; M Lotfi; H Heli

doi:10.1016/j.colsurfb.2015.03.021

Dextrin-coated zinc substituted cobalt-ferrite nanoparticles as an MRI contrast agent: In vitro and in vivo imaging studies

Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2015 May 1:129:15-20. doi: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2015.03.021. Epub 2015 Mar 14.

Authors

N Sattarahmady¹, T Zare¹, A R Mehdizadeh¹, N Azarpira², M Heidari¹, M Lotfi³, H Heli⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical Physics, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran; Nanomedicine and Nanobiology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
² Transplant Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
³ Department of Radiology, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
⁴ Nanomedicine and Nanobiology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran; Department of Nanomedicine, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 25819361
DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2015.03.021

Abstract

Application of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) as a negative contrast agent in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been of widespread interest. These particles can enhance contrast of images by altering the relaxation times of the water protons. In this study, dextrin-coated zinc substituted cobalt-ferrite (Zn0.5Co0.5Fe2O4) NPs were synthesized by a co-precipitation method, and the morphology, size, structure and magnetic properties of the NPs were investigated. These NPs had superparamagnetic behavior with an average size of 3.9 (±0.9, n=200)nm measured by transmission electron microscopy. Measurements on the relaxivities (r2 and r2(*)) of the NPs were performed in vitro by agarose phantom. In addition, after subcutaneous injection of the NPs into C540 cell line in C-57 inbred mice, the relaxivities were measured in vivo by a 1.5T MRI system. These NPs could effectively increase the image contrast in both T2-and T2(*)-weighted samples.

Keywords: Contrast agent; MRI; Relaxivity; Superparamagnetic nanoparticles; Zinc substituted cobalt ferrite.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Cobalt / chemistry*
Contrast Media / pharmacokinetics*
Dextrins / chemistry*
Female
Ferric Compounds / chemistry*
In Vitro Techniques
Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
Mice
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
Neoplasms, Experimental / metabolism
Neoplasms, Experimental / pathology*
Particle Size
Phantoms, Imaging*
Protons
Tissue Distribution
Tumor Cells, Cultured
Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
Zinc / chemistry*

Substances

Contrast Media
Dextrins
Ferric Compounds
Protons
ferrite
Cobalt
Zinc