In vivo evaluation of thiol-functionalized superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles

Abstract

This article describes the synthesis, characterization and in vivo cytotoxic evaluation of thiol-functionalized superparamagnetic iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (SPIONs). They have been employed as potential vehicles for a large number of biomedical applications, such as drug delivery. Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were synthesized by coprecipitation of iron salts and coated with L-cysteine. The physicochemical, morphological, and magnetic properties of Cys-Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were characterized by different experimental techniques. To evaluate their applicability in nanomedicine we evaluated their cytotoxicity using Balb/C mice. The results show that Cys-SPIONs are good candidates as nanocarriers in biomedical applications.

Keywords: Biocompatibility; Cytotoxicity; Drug delivery; Iron oxide; Nanoparticles.