Assembly of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles on PEG-functionalized graphene oxide for efficient magnetic imaging and drug delivery

Abstract

a Formation of assembly of Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) onto PEG-functionalized graphene oxide for efficient magnetic Imaging and drug delivery are reported. Nanoscale graphene oxide (GO) was first synthesized and functionalized by branched, biocompatible polyethylene glycol (PEG) to render high aqueous solubility and stability in physiological solutions. Next, the meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinnic acid-modified Fe3O4 NPs were anchored onto GO sheets via formation of amide bond in the presence of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC). It is found that the Fe3O4-PEG-GO nanocomposites possess good physiological stability and low cytotoxicity. Furthermore, controlled loading of aromatic drugs, doxorubicin (DOX), a typical anticancer drug, onto the Fe3O4-PEG-GO nanocomposites via π-π stacking and hydrophobic interactions is investigated. It is demonstrated that Fe3O4-PEG-GO/DOX loaded with the anticancer drug shows remarkably high cytotoxicity. The Fe3O4-PEG-GO/DOX nanocomposites show significantly enhanced cellular MRI, being capable of detecting cells at the iron concentration of 10 µg mL -1 with cell density of 2 × 10 5 cells mL -1 . The current work provides a general approach toward rational design and synthesis of a versatile theranostic nanoplatform based on Fe3O4-PEG-GO NPs with good biocompatibility and capability of simultaneously performing imaging and therapy for clinical outcomes.

Recent Advances of Graphene-based Hybrids with Magnetic Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications

“…The former involves a previous synthesis of MNPs and their subsequent attachment on graphene surfaces by either covalent or non covalent modification. This approach may also imply a previous chemical functionalization of both materials [ 13 ]. However, the most employed methodology is the in situ deposition of MNPs on graphene material.…”

“…However, these nanoparticles tend to aggregate and precipitate inside the body vessels, thus reducing the circulation time in blood and the efficiency as contrast agents for long period imaging. As a solution, graphene-based materials have been employed as a support material to anchor IONPs and enhance the physiological stability of the contrast agent [ 13a , 15a ]. Indeed, it was observed that the aggregation of IONPs on GO surface improved significantly the T 2 relaxivity of the system in comparison to the IONPs alone (Fig.…”

In situ synthesis of magnetic poly(N-tert-butyl acrylamide-co-acrylic acid)/Fe3O4 nanogels for magnetic resonance imaging

“…6 For example, Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles have been researched 7,8 and applied as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents because they can improve r 2 relaxivity. [9][10][11] However, they may aggregate easily owing to their tiny sizes and high surface energy, and cause blockages in blood vessels when they are injected into veins. 12,13 Moreover, the surfaces of commonly used Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles are hydrophobic 6,12 which is incompatible with the human environment.…”

Nanoparticles in biomedical applications

“…Coating with a shell offers many advantages such as it prevents agglomeration and helps with further functionalisation and conjugation to proteins, enzymes, antibodies and anticancer drugs. Iron oxide nanoparticles have been investigated for use in magnetic hyperthermia treatment [20,21,[31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46]55], targeted drug delivery and contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 34,41,56,62]. The magnetic properties of iron oxide nanoparticles can be improved by doping with magnetically susceptible elements such as manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co) and nickel (Ni) [103] …”

“…A lot of literature have focused on iron oxide nanoparticles because of their superior chemical, biological and magnetic properties including chemical stability, non-toxicity, biocompatibility, high saturation magnetisation and high magnetic susceptibility [5][6][7][8]. These properties allow for its use in many biomedical applications; bioimaging 34,41,56,62], hyperthermia [20,21,[31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46]55], drug delivery , cell labelling [26,70] and gene delivery [71][72][73][74][75][76][77]. From our most recent review, it was seen that other magnetic nanomaterials such as Fe-Co, Cu-Ni, Fe-Ni, Co-Fe 2 O 4 and Mn-Fe 2 O 4 , nanoparticles are being investigated for use in bioimaging [78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86]…”