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Updated: Mar 12, 2026
Cell Labeling and Targeting with Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles
Published on: October 19, 2015
Biocompatible and fluorescent superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles with superior magnetic properties coated
Dorota Lachowicz1, Agnieszka Szpak2, Katarzyna E Malek-Zietek3
1Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 3, 30-060 Krakow, Poland; Academic Centre of Materials and Nanotechnology, AGH - University of Science and Technology, Kawiory 30, 30-055 Krakow, Poland.
Abstract:
Syntheses and characterizations of biocompatible superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles with embedded curcumin and coated with ultrathin layer of hyaluronic acid-curcumin (HA-Cur) conjugate have been reported. Zeta potential measurements confirmed effective coating of native iron oxide nanoparticles stabilized by cationic derivative of chitosan (SPION-CCh) with the synthesized HA-Cur conjugate. Both SPIONs with embedded curcumin and the ones coated with HA-Cur (SPION-CCh/HA-Cur) revealed desired magnetic characteristics while fluorescent properties were much better for the coated nanoparticles. SPION-CCh/HA-Cur nanoparticles were shown to be very promising candidates for T2 MRI contrast agents as they can easily penetrate cell membrane and their relaxivity is exceptionally high (ca. 470mM-1s-1). They may be also tracked using confocal fluorescence microscopy due to the presence of fluorescent curcumin in the coating. In vitro studies indicated that the obtained SPIONs-CCh/HA-Cur were non-toxic for EA.hy926 endothelial cells.
