Investigation on the toxic interaction of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles with catalase

Abstract

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) have been investigated for various applications in targeted drug delivery and magnetic resonance imaging. Given their clinical relevance, there is a need to understand these particles׳ potential cytotoxic effects and possible mechanisms of cytotoxicity. Using a variety of spectroscopic techniques, we investigated the interaction of SPIONs with catalase (CAT) in an aqueous environment. Catalase is an important enzyme that protects cells and tissues from oxidative damage by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Therefore, in this work, CAT served as a model protein for examining the physiological effects of SPIONs due to is function in eliminating H2O2. Synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy results showed that SPIONs have little effect on tryptophan residues in CAT. Data from circular dichroism (CD) and UV–vis spectroscopies showed that CAT α-helical content decreased from 32.4% to 29.1% in the presence of SPIONs. Moreover, a ca. 10% decrease in CAT activity was observed in the presence of SPIONs at a 20:1 particle:protein ratio. These results show that SPIONs can interact with proteins to alter both their structure and function. Further studies with CAT or other toxicologically relevant enzymes may be used for elucidating the mechanisms of SPION cytotoxicity.