Self-assembled coatings on individual monodisperse magnetite nanoparticles for efficient intracellular uptake

Monodispersed iron oxide superparamagnetic nanoparticles were prepared using a novel circulating system. A simple dialysis method was developed to immobilize nanoparticles with functional biopolymers and targeting agents, which avoids the use of the normal centrifugation process that may cause particle agglomeration during the coating process. To enhance the specific targeting capability of the nanoparticles, a new chemical scheme was introduced, in which folic acid (FA) was chosen as the targeting agent combined with PEG serving to improve biocompatibility of nanoparticles. The AFM characterization showed that the nanoparticles produced are well dispersed with a narrow size distribution. The FTIR and XPS spectrum analyses indicated that PEG and FA-PEG have been chemically/covalently bonded to nanoparticles using synthetic approach introduced in this study. Our biological study showed that coating nanoparticles with PEG-FA significantly enhanced the intracellular uptake of nanoparticles by target cells.