Polymeric Magnetic Nanoparticles Research Articles

An insight into the intensification of aqueous/organic phase reaction by the addition of magnetic polymer nanoparticles

The intensification mechanism of aqueous/organic phase reaction by the addition of magnetic polymer nanoparticles was investigated. To understand how nanoparticles intensify the liquid–liquid (L–L) reaction, three reaction enhancement strategies of mechanical agitation (MA), the addition of magnetic polymer nanoparticles (MPN) or phase transfer catalyst (PTC) were compared in Montanari oxidation system. A mass transfer mathematical model was established to describe the oxidation reaction process owing to its inherently fast characteristic of the oxidation of selected substrate (benzyl alcohol). Moreover, the influence of the nanoparticles concentration on the biphasic reaction was explored. The results indicate that the emulsification of nanoparticles is the main reason to intensify the L–L reaction, and the mass transfer specific surface area (aow) is a crucial factor to accelerate the reaction rate. In addition, the emulsion type also plays a significant role to influence the overall mass transfer coefficient (K) of substrate.

Novel molecularly imprinted magnetic nanoparticles for the selective extraction of protoberberine alkaloids in herbs and rat plasma.

In this work, a novel magnetic nanomaterial functionalized with a molecularly imprinted polymer was prepared for the extraction of protoberberine alkaloids. Molecularly imprinted polymers were made on the surface of Fe3 O4 nanoparticles by using berberine as template, acetonitrile/water as porogen, acrylamide as functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross-linker. The optimized molar ratio of template/functional monomer was 1:7. The polymeric magnetic nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The stability and adsorption capacity of the molecularly imprinted polymers were investigated. The molecularly imprinted polymers were used as a selective sorbent for the magnetic molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction and determination of jatrorrhizine, palmatine, and berberine. Extraction parameters were studied including loading pH, sample volume, stirring speed, and extraction time. Finally, a magnetic molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed. Under the optimized conditions, the method showed good linear range of 0.1-150 ng/mL for berberine and 0.1-100 ng/mL for jatrorrhizine and palmatine. The limit of detection was 0.01 ng/mL for berberine and 0.02 ng/mL for jatrorrhizine and palmatine. The proposed method has been applied to determine protoberberine alkaloids in Cortex phellodendri and rat plasma samples. The recoveries ranged from 87.33-102.43%, with relative standard deviation less than 4.54% in Cortex phellodendri and from 102.22-111.15% with relative standard deviation less than 4.59% in plasma.

Mesenchymal stem cell in vitro labeling by hybrid fluorescent magnetic polymeric particles for application in cell tracking.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a type of adult stem cell that contains multi-differentiation and proliferative properties and that shows high treatment implications for many clinical problems. The outcome of stem cell transplantation is still limited due to many factors, especially their survival and their interaction with the microenvironment after transplantation. Molecular imaging is a challenging technique that has been used to overcome this limitation and is based on the concept of labeling cells with tractable, visible, and non-toxic materials to track the cells after transplantation. In this study, magnetic polymeric nanoparticles (MPNPs) were used to directly label Wharton's jelly-derived MSCs (WJ-MSCs). After labeling, the growth rate and the viability of the MSCs as well as the time of exposure were determined. The 3D images of WJ-MSCs labeled with MPNPs for 24h were created using confocal microscopy. The results showed that, after incubation with fluorescent MPNPs for over 8h, the growth rate and cell viability of the WJ-MSCs was similar to those of the control. Three-dimensional imaging revealed that the fluorescent MPNPs could infiltrate into the cells and spread into the cytoplasm, which suggests that the synthesized fluorescent MPNPs could possibly label MSCs for cell tracking study and be further developed for in vivo applications.

Designing casein-coated iron oxide nanostructures (CCIONPs) as superparamagnetic core-shell carriers for magnetic drug targeting.

Magnetic drug targeting is a drug delivery system applicable to cancer treatment. Coated magnetic particles, called carriers, are very useful for delivering chemotherapeutic drugs. In the present research, casein-coated iron oxide nanocarriers (CCIONPs) of core shell nanostructure have been described as being applicable to magnetic drug targeting. The structure, morphology, and composition of prepared magnetic nanoparticles were determined by analytical techniques like Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Electron diffraction (ED), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Zeta potential, Dynamic light scattering (DLS), Mossbauer and Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Vibrating sample magnetometery (VSM)) and in vitro cytotoxicity analysis. Magnetization studies of CCIONPs conducted at room temperature using a vibrating sample magnetometer suggested their superparamagnetic nature as having a saturation magnetization (Ms) of 64 emu g−1 at an applied magnetic field of 5 kOe. The size of the magnetic polymeric nanoparticles was found to lie in the range of 73.9 ±0.36 nm, and the particles exhibited superparamagnetic behavior. The prepared particles could be used as a drug carrier for controlled and targeted drug delivery.

Magnetic poly(d,l-lactide) nanoparticles loaded with aliskiren: A promising tool for hypertension treatment

In this study anti-hypertensive drug called aliskiren was encapsulated in magnetic poly( d , l -lactide) nanoparticles by the modified nanoprecipitation method. The effect of magnetite and drug concentrations on the size distribution and zeta potential of polymer nanoparticles was investigated. The optimized loadings were as follows: theoretical magnetite loading was 20 mg/100 mg polymer nanoparticles and aliskiren was encapsulated in magnetic poly( d , l -lactide) nanoparticles at theoretical loading 0.6 mg aliskiren/100 mg magnetic polymer nanoparticles. The physicochemical characteristics of nanoparticles were studied, with spherical shape of nanoparticles sized between 58 and 227 nm being one of the observed results. Differential scanning calorimetry and infrared spectroscopy confirmed that aliskiren was successfully identified in the magnetic poly( d , l -lactide) nanoparticles. The in vivo experiments indicated that encapsulated aliskiren decreased blood pressure of the studied male spontaneously hypertensive rat even more significantly than common administered drug. • Anti-hypertensive drug called aliskiren was encapsulated in magnetic poly(D,L-lactide) nanoparticles by modified nanoprecipitation method. • The optimisation of magnetite and drug loading with regard to the size distribution and zeta potential was investigated. • The physicochemical characteristics of nanoparticles were studied by different techniques. • The in vivo experiments indicated that encapsulated aliskiren decreased blood pressure of the studied male spontaneously hypertensive rat even more significantly than common administered drug.

Fluorescent chitosan functionalized magnetic polymeric nanoparticles: Cytotoxicity and invitro evaluation of cellular uptake.

Nanoparticles possessing magnetic and fluorescent properties were fabricated by the covalent attachment of fluorescein isothiocyanate onto magnetic polymeric nanoparticles functionalized by chitosan. The synthesized magnetic polymeric nanoparticles-chitosan/fluorescein isothiocyanate were successfully used for labeling the living organ and blood-related cancer cells, i.e., HeLa, Hep G2, and K562 cells. The cytotoxicity test of nanoparticles at various incubation times indicated the high cell viability (>90%) without morphological change. The confocal microscopy revealed that they could pass through cell membrane within 2 h for K562 cells and 3 h for HeLa and Hep G2 cells and then confine inside cytoplasm of all types of tested cells for at least 24 h. Therefore, the synthesized magnetic polymeric nanoparticles-chitosan/fluorescein isothiocyanate would potentially be used as cell tracking in theranostic applications.

Retraction Notice for Composite Polymeric Magnetic Nanoparticles for Codelivery of Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Anticancer Drugs and MRI Imaging for Cancer Therapy

Retraction Notice for Composite Polymeric Magnetic Nanoparticles for Codelivery of Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Anticancer Drugs and MRI Imaging for Cancer Therapy

Modification of Polymer-Magnetic Nanoparticles by Luminescent and Conducting Substances

The polymer encapsulated magnetic nanoparticles were obtained by suspension polymerization of styrene in the aqueous dispersion of magnetite. Functionalization of capsules was carried out by adsorption of BaZrO3luminescent nanocrystals on the polystyrene shell. Followed oxidative polymerization of aniline on the capsule surface leading to the additional encapsulation of the microspheres by conducting substance-polyaniline. It was found that adsorption of BaZrO3nanocrystals on polystyrene shell leads to modification of CL spectra due to chemical interaction between polystyrene and BaZrO3nanocrystals.

Synthesis and Evaluation of Poly(Sodium 2-Acrylamido-2-Methylpropane Sulfonate-co-Styrene)/Magnetite Nanoparticle Composites as Corrosion Inhibitors for Steel

Self-stabilized magnetic polymeric composite nanoparticles of coated poly-(sodium 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate-co-styrene)/magnetite (PAMPS-Na-co-St/Fe3O4) were prepared by emulsifier-free miniemulsion polymerization using styrene (St) as a monomer, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid sodium salt (AMPS-Na) as an ionic comonomer, N,N-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as crosslinker, hexadecane (HD) as a hydrophobic solvent, and 2,2-azodiisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as an initiator in the presence of hydrophobic oleic acid coated magnetite particles. Hydrophobic oleic acid coated magnetite particles with an average size of about 7-10 nm were prepared with the new modified water-based magnetite ferrofluid, synthesized by a chemical modified coprecipitation method. The morphology and the particle size distributions of the crosslinked PAMPS-Na-co-St/Fe3O4 composite were observed and analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The average Fe3O4 content of PAMPS-Na-co-St/Fe3O4 was determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The inhibitory action of PAMPS-Na-co-St/Fe3O4 towards steel corrosion in 1 M HCl solutions has been investigated by polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) methods. Polarization measurements indicate that PAMPS-Na-co-St/Fe3O4 acts as a mixed type-inhibitor and the inhibition efficiency increases with inhibitor concentration. The results of potentiodynamic polarization and EIS measurements clearly showed that the inhibition mechanism involves blocking of the steel surface by inhibitor molecules via adsorption.

New approach of using emulsifier-free emulsion polymerisation to prepare magnetic polymeric nanoparticles

A new approach of using emulsifier-free emulsion polymerisation to prepare magnetic nanoparticles coated by poly-methacrylic acid (PMAA) was followed. The results showed the formation of PMAA shells covering magnetite cores. The shell thickness was customised by varying the synthesis parameters such as mass ratio of monomer to magnetic particles, temperature and reaction time. The experimental investigations indicate that the polymerisation is dominated by the homogeneous nucleation in solutions and the later growth into the uniform polymeric layer occurs at the surface of solid particles. The resulting PMAA coated particles presented significantly higher saturation magnetisation compared to that in other studies with the presence of surfactants or emulsifiers.

New magnetic polymeric nanoparticles for extraction of trace cadmium ions and the determination of cadmium content in diesel oil samples

A new Cd(ii)-imprinted polymer was grafted on Fe3O4nanoparticles as a sorbent for selective removal of trace Cd(ii), and was applied for determination of Cd(ii) in diesel oil samples after extraction induced by emulsion breaking.

Zero-valent iron (Fe(0)) mediated RAFT miniemulsion polymerization: a facile approach for the fabrication of Fe(0)-encapsulated polymeric nanoparticles

We report a facile approach for the fabrication of Fe(0)-encapsulated nanoparticles via Fe(0)-mediated RAFT miniemulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA). The polymerization demonstrated good control/livingness: linear kinetic plots, linear increased molecular weights, narrow molecular weight distributions and high chain end fidelity as characterized by size exclusion chromatography, NMR and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Crosslinked uniform PMMA nanoparticles (about 130 nm of diameter) with encapsulated Fe(0) were obtained and fully characterized by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering measurements. This work provides a facile and alternative approach for the fabrication of magnetic polymeric nanoparticles.

Tailoring magnetic PLGA nanoparticles suitable for doxorubicin delivery

One of the main problems of current cancer chemotherapy is the lack of selectivity of anti-cancer drugs to tumor cells, which leads to systemic toxicity and adverse side effects. In order to overcome these limitations, researches on controlled drug delivery systems have gained much attention. Nanoscale-based drug delivery systems provide tumor targeting. Among many types of nanocarriers, superparamagnetic nanoparticles with their biocompatible polymer coatings can be targeted to an intented site by an external magnetic field. Thus, the drug can be carried to the targeted site safely. The aim of this study is to prepare poly(dl-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)-coated magnetic nanoparticles and load anti-cancer drug, doxorubicin to them. For this purpose, magnetite (Fe3O4) iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized as a magnetic core material (MNP) and then coated with oleic acid. Oleic acid-coated MNP (OA-MNP) was encapsulated into PLGA. Effects of different OA-MNP/PLGA ratios on magnetite entrapment efficiency were investigated. Doxorubicin-loaded magnetic polymeric nanoparticles (DOX-PLGA-MNP) were prepared. After the characterization of prepared nanoparticles, their cytotoxic effects on MCF-7 cell line were studied. PLGA-coated magnetic nanoparticles (PLGA-MNP) had a proper size and superparamagnetic character. The highest magnetite entrapment efficiency of PLGA-MNP was estimated as 63 % at 1:8 ratio. Cytotoxicity studies of PLGA-MNP did not indicate any notable cell death between the concentration ranges of 2 and 125 μg/ml. Drug loading efficiency was estimated as 32 %, and it was observed that DOX-PLGA-MNP showed significant cytotoxicity on MCF-7 cells compared to PLGA-MNP. The results showed that prepared nanoparticles have desired size and superparamagnetic characteristics without serious toxic effects on cells. These nanoparticles may be suitable for targeted drug delivery applications.

Multifunctional magnetic polymeric nanoparticles: A theranostic platform for multimodal cancer imaging and therapeutics

Multifunctional magnetic polymeric nanoparticles: A theranostic platform for multimodal cancer imaging and therapeutics

Magnetic polymeric nanoparticles functionalized by mannose‐rhodamine conjugate for detection of E. coli

ABSTRACTMannose‐rhodamine (Rh) conjugate (80% yield) was synthesized in a one‐pot reaction and immobilized onto magnetic polymeric nanoparticles (MPNP; 43% magnetic content) of poly(styrene/divinyl benzene/acrylic acid). The resulting nanoparticles contained MPNP as a substrate, mannose as an E. coli receptor and Rh as a fluorescent signaling unit. TEM imaging clearly demonstrated that multiple mannose‐Rh MPNPs could be captured by E. coli strain ORN178. The fluorescent signal from captured nanoparticles was emitted at 580 nm. These results indicate that mannose‐Rh MPNP offers a simple and rapid strategy for bacterial detection. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2014, 131, 40012.

Anisotropic janus magnetic polymeric nanoparticles prepared via miniemulsion polymerization

Anisotropic Janus magnetic polymeric nanoparticles are prepared via the miniemulsion polymerization of styrene and acrylic acid monomers in the presence of oleic acid-coated magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). The controllable phase separation between the polymer matrix and the encapsulated MNPs is a key success factor to produce Janus morphology. The effects of MNPs, 2,2′-azobis(2-isobutyronitrile) and sodium dodecyl sulfate contents, on the morphology, chemical composition and colloidal stability of the prepared Janus hybrid particles are investigated. Besides the determination of polymerization conversion, zeta potential, size analysis, TGA, and TEM are applied for characterization of the anisotropic particles. The results show the stable spherical Janus particles containing MNPs (15 wt % magnetic content) located on one side of each polymer particle. The anisotropic submicron Janus magnetic polymeric particles (250 nm) can be easily separated by an external magnet. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 4779–4785

Surface Charge-Switchable Polymeric Magnetic Nanoparticles for the Controlled Release of Anticancer Drug

We develop paclitaxel (PTX) and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) coencapsulated, surface charge-switchable, thermosensitive poly(d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid)-l-lysine-d-galactose (PTX-MNP-PLGA-Lys-Gal) NPs for the controlled release of the anticancer drug. The novel dual signal-responsive nanovehicle is formulated to shield off target at pH 7.4 but bind avidly to tumor cells in acidity, alleviating toxicity and side effects of the drug to normal tissues. The mechanism involves pH-sensitive NPs surface charge switching by the deblocking process of galactose molecules followed by protonation of ε-NH2 in lysine residue at acidic pH. Magnetic hyperthermia under near infrared (NIR) irradiation induced the contraction of PTX-MNP-PLGA-Lys-Gal NPs and, in turn, triggered burst release of PTX. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), fluorescence microscope analyses, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and ξ-potential analyses were performed to characterize physicochemical properties of the as-prepared NPs. The size range of the globule PTX-MNP-PLGA-Lys-Gal NPs after being prescreened was from 130 to 150 nm under simulated physiological medium. The high encapsulation efficiencies of MNPs and PTX were obtained, reaching 85 and 78 wt % for PTX-MNP-PLGA-Lys-Gal NPs, respectively. The tumor inhibitory rate of 78.8% reflected that the resulting NPs could be promising to treat cancer by specific binding and targeting release drug to tumor.

Tailoring the magnetic behavior of polymeric particles for bioapplications

Abstract In this study, magnetic polymeric nanoparticles were prepared use in for targeted drug delivery. First, iron oxide (Fe3O4) magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were synthesized by coprecipitation with ferrous and ferric chloride salts. Then, to render the MNPs hydrophobic, the surfaces were covered with oleic acid. Finally, the hydrophobic MNPs (H-MNPs) were encapsulated with polymer. The emulsion evaporation technique was used for the preparation of polymer-coated H-MNP. Poly(dl-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) and chitosan-modified PLGA were used as polymers. The polymeric nanoparticles were characterized and compared. X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering, size distribution, ζ potential, magnetic properties, and magnetite entrapment efficiency measurements were performed to investigate the properties of the nanoparticles. The XTT assay was performed to understand the biocompatibility (i.e., toxicity) of MNPs and magnetic polymeric nanoparticles to MCF-7 cells.

Targeting intracellular compartments by magnetic polymeric nanoparticles

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) show a great promise for a wide specter of bioapplications, due to their characteristic magnetic properties exhibited only in the presence of magnetic field. Their advantages in the fields of magnetic drug targeting and imaging are well established and their safety is assumed, since iron oxide nanoparticles have already been approved for in vivo application, however, according to many literature reports the bare metal oxide nanoparticles may cause toxic effects on treated cells. Therefore, it is reasonable to prevent the direct interactions between metal oxide core and surrounding environment. In the current research ricinoleic acid coated maghemite nanoparticles were successfully synthesized, characterized and incorporated in the polymeric matrix, resulting in nanosized magnetic polymeric particles. The carrier system was shown to exhibit superparamagnetic properties and was therefore responsive towards external magnetic field. Bioevaluation using T47-D breast cancer cells confirmed internalization of magnetic polymeric nanoparticles (MNPs) and their intracellular localization in various subcellular compartments, depending on presence/absence of external magnetic field. However, the number of internalized MNPs observed by fluorescent and transmission electron microscopy was relatively low, making such way of targeting effective only for delivery of highly potent drugs. The scanning electron microscopy of treated cells revealed that MNPs influenced the cell adhesion, when external magnetic field was applied, and that treatment resulted in damaged apical plasma membrane right after exposure to the magnetic carrier. On the other hand, MNPs showed only reversibly reduced cellular metabolic activity in concentrations up to 200μg/ml and, in the tested concentration the cell cycle distribution was within the normal range, indicating safety of the established magnetic carrier system for the treated cells.

Preparation of Surface-Imprinted Polymer Magnetic Nanoparticles with Miniemulsion Polymerization for Recognition of Salicylic Acid

Molecular surface-imprinted polymers nanoparticles encapsulating magnetite modified with oleic acid, for recognition of salicylic acid was prepared by three-step miniemulsion polymerization. The important factors including polymerization process, solvents, miniemulsifying approaches, and co-stabilizer have been investigated to obtain magnetic molecular imprinting polymers (MMIPs) nanoparticles (NPs) with high saturation magnetization (Ms), regular morphology, and good monodispersion. The results showed that the amount of magnetite encapsulated in MMIPs NPs was 43.4 wt% and Ms was 33.584 emu/g. Thus, MMIPs NPs could be separated easily within 2 minutes by an external magnetic field. The transmission electron microscope (TEM) showed MMIPs NPs were of regular sphere with core-shell structure, where magnetite NPs were uniformly encapsulated in homogeneous polymer shells. The average diameter of MMIPs NPs was 98 nm with RSD of 6.6%. Good recognition and high loading of target molecule were achieved by MMIPs NPs in batch rebinding tests.